It's Friday, I'm in Love

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Okay, so when I haven't been ripping off The Cure for post titles I've been knitting the Basic Beanie from Slouchy Beanies and Headwraps.

It's really basic and it's just what I needed.

I have a lot of WIPs, a hectic job, and a big cold/allergy thing going on.  And my husband's sick.  And my daughter was sick.  She's getting better, but sick toddlers are so pitiful and cranky.  Between her insistence on watching the same 3 DVDs over and over for nearly a week, and my DayQuil abuse, my attention span was in no shape to follow any kind of pattern.

Most of the time I feel a little snooty about patterns that seem to exist solely to be quick and/or easy.

"Handcrafting is an art and a valuable skill!" I shout (clearheaded and with full lung capacity) from my soapbox.  "These projects should be timeless and well-crafted.  How can we expect anyone to value the time and effort we put into a gift if we just churn it out in an afternoon?"

By the way, my soapbox is probably in the middle of desolate wasteland.  Most people don't have these hangups about how they should or shouldn't manage their time, even the ones who have infinitely more skill than I do.  And that would be most knitters.

But this hasn't been an especially good week for knitting, or much else.  After a really productive weekend with a baby sweater made of sock yarn on Size 1 needles, I came down with the cold.  Then the weather turned ugly.  Then the entire extent of my yarncrafting efforts could be summed up with a sad little--and, might I add, still unfinished--granny square.

The stark colors and gray background are a pretty accurate representation of my soul.

A swatch for Monday's post aside, I haven't done much.

Until Wednesday night.  I decided to cast on the Basic Beanie for several reasons.

1. I wanted to participate in a stashbusting challenge on Ravelry, and needed a quick project so that I could finish up before Sunday.
2. I wanted to use up a skein of worsted weight yarn that's just sitting around.
3. I wanted to make my friend a hat even though I'm not sure she's a hat person.  Sometimes I just like to make something for people that they wouldn't pick out for themselves.
4. I wanted to knit, but I needed something simple.
5. This is a cute hat.
6. With a button!  Buttons make every hat more fun. It's a scientific fact.
7. The brim is knitted back and forth, and then you join in the round.  No accidental twisting!  I'm at a bit of a risk for it right now, and I don't know that my fragile psyche could handle that blow.

 So.  On Wednesday, I began.


On Thursday, I finished the brim, began knitting in the round and worked until it was time for the decrease rows.

And today?



It's Friday, and I'm in love.   It's such a great knit! It's quick!  It's simple!  It's  pretty!

It calls for Size 6 and Size 8 needles, so I'm using 5s and 7s.  Still, normal needles and normal yarn!

Today I'll work the decrease rows and finish it.  Is there anything more exciting than waking up and knowing you'll finish a project?  Maybe knowing that you'll start one, but still.  Finishing is exciting. 

Plus, I get the added jolt of excitement that comes from worrying about whether or not this ball of yarn will last me until the end.

Laugh if you want, but my heart rate is up.  This is practically exercise.

There are some lovely patterns in Slouchy Beanies and Headwraps, and this would probably be the best pick for a newer knitter.  Or just a tired one.  Or anyone else who just wants to make this hat.

I'm going to finish up this quick and easy knit today, and I know I'm going to enjoy every bit of it.  In the meantime, I'd like to leave you with this.



Have a great weekend!

Learn to Crochet: 3 Single Crochet Popcorn Stitch

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Good morning.  How was your weekend?  Mine was lovely.  I tried to figure out why I keep wanting to talk about popcorn stitches.

This is what I came up with: they're cute.

They just are.  It's rare that I (or probably anyone else) finds a crochet technique cute.

Amigurumi projects are cute.  Baby sweaters are cute.  In the right light, even certain dishcloths can be cute.

But the actual crochet stitches making up those blankets and hats and toys?  "Cute" is not a word that comes to mind. 

It's not that they look bad, because if they did people wouldn't still be crocheting.  It's just that crochet stitches look like......crochet stitches.  It's not terrible, but it's usually not cute either.  I like the look of most crochet stitches.  They're substantive and textured, and something about them makes me think that crocheted afghans are just about the only kinds of afghans you should ever make and it's going to have to take a pretty special knitting pattern to convince me otherwise.

But even with knitting, I can't think of knit stitches I'd characterize as cute.

But popcorn stitches are cute.  They just are.  They're like little puffed-up stitches that pop up in the middle of your work, calling out "hey!" in a squeaky voice.  They probably wave with a little too much enthusiasm and get out of breath with excitement over unimportant things.  You know, in my imagination where everything is anthropomorphic in a cartoony sort of way. 

And I like that!

The popcorn stitches, not my imagination.  My imagination gets away from me a lot (you may have noticed). But I'm telling you, those popcorn stitches are just so stinking adorable.  And so I like them and they're my new favorite crochet stitch.

I like them so much I decided I'd post about them for a few more days even though I don't have a pattern that features single crochet popcorn stitches so that I could make a cute little swatch and upload pictures of it onto this post. 


I know blogging without pictures is pretty much a cardinal sin, but my giddy infatuation with all things popcorn stitch has clouded my judgement.  I know that if single crochet popcorn exists, then there are patterns that feature it.  Maybe you have a pattern that calls for it.  And maybe Google led you to me.  So you could see this tutorial and be absolutely sure you were doing it correctly:


Isn't that just precious?!  It's a popcorn stitch with single crochets!  As if single crochets weren't sweet-looking enough, now I know that popcorn stitches with single crochets are a thing.  It's like miniature crochet!  With miniature puffs of happiness in your project!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's post when I include the video for doing it left-handed!

Yes, I will probably still be this weird about it.

Yes, I'll be taking a break from popcorn stitches on Wednesday.

No, I don't mind if you stay away until then.

She's a (New York) Beauty!

To contact us Click HERE
I finished up this 20" mini for the Doll Quilt Swap round 12 on Flickr. And just under the wire, since mailing deadline for international parcels is tomorrow.  I had the top finished for a couple of weeks, but just managed to figure out how to quilt it this weekend.  Nothing like time pressure to crystallize one's thinking!

Here are a couple of close views of the quilting. This is easily the most ornate FMQ I've ever done.  It was actually quite fun!



This little gem finishes at 20" square.  I'm sending it off into the ether, and hoping for the best.  My partner had practically zero presence on the discussion board and in the comment threads, so I really don't know what she'll think of it.  Never mind, I'm hoping for the best.

A new arrival at Mottl and Tzeitel's!

To contact us Click HERE
Who remembers Fiddler on the Roof, where there is a big ruckus in the square with all kinds of excited chatter about the "new arrival" at the home of young Mottl the tailor and his new bride?  Watch the first few minutes of this clip to refresh your memory:

So you won't be surprised when I show you my new arrival - a 1939 Featherweight! She's in prime condition - the gold decals around the edges are intact, hardly any scratches, beautiful scrollwork engraving on the face plate and chrome wheel.  The serial number begins with AF, which signals a 1939 date of manufacture.  She came in her original case (that doesn't smell, which I gather is a problem with some of them), with bobbins, a handful of feet that look like medieval instruments of torture, the original instruction manual, and a zipper foot attachment with cams and an "automatic zigzagger".

I had to take a trip to Toronto for a meeting, and on a whim I checked Toronto Kijiji listings to see if there were any Featherweights on offer.  I saw three listed, but this one was the only one I went to see.  It was reasonably priced, easily accessible by public transit, and was being sold by a retired lady who was "decluttering" and reported that the machine had been in her family since its purchase.  It had clearly been well taken care of.  And now she's mine!  I am beyond thrilled and very happy to be able to give this little darling a good home!

Everybody's Doing It!

To contact us Click HERE
Voting, that is!  Tomorrow is Election Day in the US, and won't we all be glad when that is over! Even the Canadian news is awash with polls and pundits weighing in on the presidential election.   Well, here's another election you can vote in, and this one is for everyone around the world!

My quilt, Summer Wedding, was nominated for best quilt photography in the recent Bloggers' Quilt Festival.  My BQF post where the quilt is featured in full can be found here. I am tickled pink! So if you care to vote for it, please go to this link and scroll down to the section dedicated to quilt photography; you'll see this photo above my blog name, Stitchliterate. Give us some clicky love! I would be grateful for your vote!

Jo Arnspiger's Confederate – Mississippi Flag pattern

To contact us Click HERE


GREAT! Another block for the  Genea-Quilters 2011 Block Challenge, this one from Jo Arnspiger. Harking back to her Confederate ancestry with this beautifully executed Mississippi Flag pattern (a blue background with white star) Jo writes:

My father’s family were almost all from Mississippi and Alabama. I choose the dark blue background and white star block pattern which represents the first flag flown by Mississippi in 1861 when they seceded from the United States. This flag was never officially adopted but was raised over the capital building and inspired the song “The Bonnie Blue Flag”.  See: Free Union and Confederate Quilt Patterns, ( by Judy Anne Breneman.

My great great grandfather Henry Stephen Archer Sr. served in the 32nd Mississippi Regiment from Mar 1861 through 1864. Sometime in 1864 he was reassigned as Chaplain for the 41st Mississippi Regiment. Copies of some of his military papers indicate President Davis was instrumental in approving his reassignment to the 41st Regiment as Chaplain. 

I have recently discovered the existence of the personal diary of Henry S. Archer for the years of his service in the Confederate Army. A microfilmed copy of the diary has been ordered through  Interlibrary Loan. Can’t wait to get my hands on that.
 
John Samuel Smith, a brother of my great great grandmother, Elizabeth Hurt Smith, also served in the 32nd Mississippi Infantry and died in battle 15 May 1864 in  Georgia. My great great grandfather, Joshua Atwood Tilton, enlisted in Co. D, 8th Regiment Alabama Infantry 10 May 1861. He was discharged 23 Oct 1862, having suffered a severe gunshot wound to the arm, leaving him with little or no use of the arm. He was a railroad engineer before the war and apparently continued that occupation after his discharge.

THANK-YOU Jo, for sharing your quilting talents, and for the stories about the service of two second great-grandfathers, and your second great-grand uncle. How very special to find the diary of one of these soldiers. Perhaps you can transcribe it for a series of blog postings? Just thinking...  ;)
So, DearGenea-Quilters, remember the  Genea-Quilters 2011 Block Challenge runs through 15 April 2011. We're going to raffle the resulting quilt at the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree on Saturday, 11 June 2011 at the Marriott Burbank Conference Center. Proceeds will be donated to the Society's scholarship fund for the 2012 Jamboree.

Leah Day's free-motion quilting tutorials

To contact us Click HERE




Wiggly Woven Lines is one of many Free Motion Quilting videos offered by Leah Day on YouTube. I am SERIOUSLY considering ding the  365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs Project. Even if I take time off to attend genealogy conferences and the week-long studies at Samford this year, I'd certainly know a lot more about free motion quilting when I got done.



Although Leah has a website, the Free Motion Quilting Project was so big, she devoted an entire blog on the topic.  http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com. There's advice about maintaining consistent lines and improving your sewing machine setup.


This girl is rockin'

She's a (New York) Beauty!

To contact us Click HERE
I finished up this 20" mini for the Doll Quilt Swap round 12 on Flickr. And just under the wire, since mailing deadline for international parcels is tomorrow.  I had the top finished for a couple of weeks, but just managed to figure out how to quilt it this weekend.  Nothing like time pressure to crystallize one's thinking!

Here are a couple of close views of the quilting. This is easily the most ornate FMQ I've ever done.  It was actually quite fun!



This little gem finishes at 20" square.  I'm sending it off into the ether, and hoping for the best.  My partner had practically zero presence on the discussion board and in the comment threads, so I really don't know what she'll think of it.  Never mind, I'm hoping for the best.

A new arrival at Mottl and Tzeitel's!

To contact us Click HERE
Who remembers Fiddler on the Roof, where there is a big ruckus in the square with all kinds of excited chatter about the "new arrival" at the home of young Mottl the tailor and his new bride?  Watch the first few minutes of this clip to refresh your memory:

So you won't be surprised when I show you my new arrival - a 1939 Featherweight! She's in prime condition - the gold decals around the edges are intact, hardly any scratches, beautiful scrollwork engraving on the face plate and chrome wheel.  The serial number begins with AF, which signals a 1939 date of manufacture.  She came in her original case (that doesn't smell, which I gather is a problem with some of them), with bobbins, a handful of feet that look like medieval instruments of torture, the original instruction manual, and a zipper foot attachment with cams and an "automatic zigzagger".

I had to take a trip to Toronto for a meeting, and on a whim I checked Toronto Kijiji listings to see if there were any Featherweights on offer.  I saw three listed, but this one was the only one I went to see.  It was reasonably priced, easily accessible by public transit, and was being sold by a retired lady who was "decluttering" and reported that the machine had been in her family since its purchase.  It had clearly been well taken care of.  And now she's mine!  I am beyond thrilled and very happy to be able to give this little darling a good home!

Everybody's Doing It!

To contact us Click HERE
Voting, that is!  Tomorrow is Election Day in the US, and won't we all be glad when that is over! Even the Canadian news is awash with polls and pundits weighing in on the presidential election.   Well, here's another election you can vote in, and this one is for everyone around the world!

My quilt, Summer Wedding, was nominated for best quilt photography in the recent Bloggers' Quilt Festival.  My BQF post where the quilt is featured in full can be found here. I am tickled pink! So if you care to vote for it, please go to this link and scroll down to the section dedicated to quilt photography; you'll see this photo above my blog name, Stitchliterate. Give us some clicky love! I would be grateful for your vote!

A new arrival at Mottl and Tzeitel's!

To contact us Click HERE
Who remembers Fiddler on the Roof, where there is a big ruckus in the square with all kinds of excited chatter about the "new arrival" at the home of young Mottl the tailor and his new bride?  Watch the first few minutes of this clip to refresh your memory:

So you won't be surprised when I show you my new arrival - a 1939 Featherweight! She's in prime condition - the gold decals around the edges are intact, hardly any scratches, beautiful scrollwork engraving on the face plate and chrome wheel.  The serial number begins with AF, which signals a 1939 date of manufacture.  She came in her original case (that doesn't smell, which I gather is a problem with some of them), with bobbins, a handful of feet that look like medieval instruments of torture, the original instruction manual, and a zipper foot attachment with cams and an "automatic zigzagger".

I had to take a trip to Toronto for a meeting, and on a whim I checked Toronto Kijiji listings to see if there were any Featherweights on offer.  I saw three listed, but this one was the only one I went to see.  It was reasonably priced, easily accessible by public transit, and was being sold by a retired lady who was "decluttering" and reported that the machine had been in her family since its purchase.  It had clearly been well taken care of.  And now she's mine!  I am beyond thrilled and very happy to be able to give this little darling a good home!

Everybody's Doing It!

To contact us Click HERE
Voting, that is!  Tomorrow is Election Day in the US, and won't we all be glad when that is over! Even the Canadian news is awash with polls and pundits weighing in on the presidential election.   Well, here's another election you can vote in, and this one is for everyone around the world!

My quilt, Summer Wedding, was nominated for best quilt photography in the recent Bloggers' Quilt Festival.  My BQF post where the quilt is featured in full can be found here. I am tickled pink! So if you care to vote for it, please go to this link and scroll down to the section dedicated to quilt photography; you'll see this photo above my blog name, Stitchliterate. Give us some clicky love! I would be grateful for your vote!

April Layher's Pride of Ohio Block

To contact us Click HERE



WOW! April Layher is the second Genea-Quilter to submit her entry for the Genea-Quilters 2011 Block Challenge to benefit the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree scholarship fund. April has also graciously volunteered to piece all our blocks together and prepare the quilt for tying during Jamboree 2011 in June.
Here's what April has to say about her "Pride of Ohio" block:

"I chose this quilt block because it represents generations of my family. Although I am not the historian that my sister is, I do know that our family helped to settle Ohio and has been in Northeastern Ohio for many generations. My favorite place in the world was my Grandfather’s dairy farm in West Farmington, Ohio.  
My Aunt Polly and Uncle Elton Bland owned a grocery and dry goods store with plank flooring and hitching posts in West Farmington. They were the dearest people in the world to me. Many cousins still live there, their homes sandwiched in between Amish houses. I fondly remember waking up in the upstairs bedroom of the farmhouse to the clattering of hooves and buggies driving past.
The little cemetery in town, Hillside Cemetery, features the names and dates of my ancestors, going back over 200 years, and some of the stones are so worn now, that only a rubbing will clearly discern the names. Osmer, Hosmer, Curtis, Hatch, Christy – so many familiar names in one graveyard that make me feel a part of this little town in Ohio, even though I have never lived there."

 Here are some of April (and Tami's) Ohio ancestor photos:

 My grandfather Addison Osmer as a young man.

 My Dad at 17 in his town baseball  uniform.
My Mom, Marcelle Burge Osmer and her little brother Bruce Burge.

"For all these reasons, I chose the Pride of Ohio block because my family, though simple, working people, formed the backbone of Ohio and, indeed, of our country. I am grateful and proud to have such ancestry."

Jo Arnspiger's Confederate – Mississippi Flag pattern

To contact us Click HERE


GREAT! Another block for the  Genea-Quilters 2011 Block Challenge, this one from Jo Arnspiger. Harking back to her Confederate ancestry with this beautifully executed Mississippi Flag pattern (a blue background with white star) Jo writes:

My father’s family were almost all from Mississippi and Alabama. I choose the dark blue background and white star block pattern which represents the first flag flown by Mississippi in 1861 when they seceded from the United States. This flag was never officially adopted but was raised over the capital building and inspired the song “The Bonnie Blue Flag”.  See: Free Union and Confederate Quilt Patterns, ( by Judy Anne Breneman.

My great great grandfather Henry Stephen Archer Sr. served in the 32nd Mississippi Regiment from Mar 1861 through 1864. Sometime in 1864 he was reassigned as Chaplain for the 41st Mississippi Regiment. Copies of some of his military papers indicate President Davis was instrumental in approving his reassignment to the 41st Regiment as Chaplain. 

I have recently discovered the existence of the personal diary of Henry S. Archer for the years of his service in the Confederate Army. A microfilmed copy of the diary has been ordered through  Interlibrary Loan. Can’t wait to get my hands on that.
 
John Samuel Smith, a brother of my great great grandmother, Elizabeth Hurt Smith, also served in the 32nd Mississippi Infantry and died in battle 15 May 1864 in  Georgia. My great great grandfather, Joshua Atwood Tilton, enlisted in Co. D, 8th Regiment Alabama Infantry 10 May 1861. He was discharged 23 Oct 1862, having suffered a severe gunshot wound to the arm, leaving him with little or no use of the arm. He was a railroad engineer before the war and apparently continued that occupation after his discharge.

THANK-YOU Jo, for sharing your quilting talents, and for the stories about the service of two second great-grandfathers, and your second great-grand uncle. How very special to find the diary of one of these soldiers. Perhaps you can transcribe it for a series of blog postings? Just thinking...  ;)
So, DearGenea-Quilters, remember the  Genea-Quilters 2011 Block Challenge runs through 15 April 2011. We're going to raffle the resulting quilt at the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree on Saturday, 11 June 2011 at the Marriott Burbank Conference Center. Proceeds will be donated to the Society's scholarship fund for the 2012 Jamboree.

Leah Day's free-motion quilting tutorials

To contact us Click HERE




Wiggly Woven Lines is one of many Free Motion Quilting videos offered by Leah Day on YouTube. I am SERIOUSLY considering ding the  365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs Project. Even if I take time off to attend genealogy conferences and the week-long studies at Samford this year, I'd certainly know a lot more about free motion quilting when I got done.



Although Leah has a website, the Free Motion Quilting Project was so big, she devoted an entire blog on the topic.  http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com. There's advice about maintaining consistent lines and improving your sewing machine setup.


This girl is rockin'

Simply Charming Mini's Book Tour

To contact us Click HERE
Konda's done it again, and has published another amazing book.  This one, I have to admit is one of my favorites.  I love mini quilts. In fact I have several hanging on my dinning room wall.

When I was first introduced to Moose on The Porch's pattern books I fell in love with the each of Konda's instructions and the color combinations that she uses.  Creating mini quilts from charm packs allows you to get those same color combinations yourself...not to mention that you can create these little beauties out of your scraps as well.
Be sure to check out the Mini Quilt Along starting September 11th.  They will be making a quilt every two weeks from Simply Charming mini's and giving away some awesome prizes.
Speaking of awesome prizes, Konda is offering a free copy of her new book to one of you. Just leave a comment here and I will choose a winner by Tuesday.

Hop on over to Spun Sugar Quilts tomorrow for another chance to win!

Phoebe's Quilt

To contact us Click HERE
Some quilts take longer than others to finish.  This was one of those quilts for me.  It wasn't difficult or uninspired, quite the opposite.  This one sat around while I tried to figure out how to quilt it and what to back it with.

Pink, purple or even black fabric kept catching my eye, but nothing seemed to fit. Then I found this crazy flannel.  The price was right and an impulse purchase followed.  (You know how it is).  The drive home was filled with doubts and second guessing myself.

When I got home and put it up to the other fabrics, I remembered to always go with your gut.  I couldn't be happier :)

A little swirly quilting with pink thread (I was feeling brave after my success with the crazy backing) and I was finally finished with the Moose on the Porch Layer Cake Quilt Along, which I just noticed was way back in 2010.  Oh well, here's to finishing project!

What are you working on today?

April Layher's Pride of Ohio Block

To contact us Click HERE



WOW! April Layher is the second Genea-Quilter to submit her entry for the Genea-Quilters 2011 Block Challenge to benefit the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree scholarship fund. April has also graciously volunteered to piece all our blocks together and prepare the quilt for tying during Jamboree 2011 in June.
Here's what April has to say about her "Pride of Ohio" block:

"I chose this quilt block because it represents generations of my family. Although I am not the historian that my sister is, I do know that our family helped to settle Ohio and has been in Northeastern Ohio for many generations. My favorite place in the world was my Grandfather’s dairy farm in West Farmington, Ohio.  
My Aunt Polly and Uncle Elton Bland owned a grocery and dry goods store with plank flooring and hitching posts in West Farmington. They were the dearest people in the world to me. Many cousins still live there, their homes sandwiched in between Amish houses. I fondly remember waking up in the upstairs bedroom of the farmhouse to the clattering of hooves and buggies driving past.
The little cemetery in town, Hillside Cemetery, features the names and dates of my ancestors, going back over 200 years, and some of the stones are so worn now, that only a rubbing will clearly discern the names. Osmer, Hosmer, Curtis, Hatch, Christy – so many familiar names in one graveyard that make me feel a part of this little town in Ohio, even though I have never lived there."

 Here are some of April (and Tami's) Ohio ancestor photos:

 My grandfather Addison Osmer as a young man.

 My Dad at 17 in his town baseball  uniform.
My Mom, Marcelle Burge Osmer and her little brother Bruce Burge.

"For all these reasons, I chose the Pride of Ohio block because my family, though simple, working people, formed the backbone of Ohio and, indeed, of our country. I am grateful and proud to have such ancestry."

Jo Arnspiger's Confederate – Mississippi Flag pattern

To contact us Click HERE


GREAT! Another block for the  Genea-Quilters 2011 Block Challenge, this one from Jo Arnspiger. Harking back to her Confederate ancestry with this beautifully executed Mississippi Flag pattern (a blue background with white star) Jo writes:

My father’s family were almost all from Mississippi and Alabama. I choose the dark blue background and white star block pattern which represents the first flag flown by Mississippi in 1861 when they seceded from the United States. This flag was never officially adopted but was raised over the capital building and inspired the song “The Bonnie Blue Flag”.  See: Free Union and Confederate Quilt Patterns, ( by Judy Anne Breneman.

My great great grandfather Henry Stephen Archer Sr. served in the 32nd Mississippi Regiment from Mar 1861 through 1864. Sometime in 1864 he was reassigned as Chaplain for the 41st Mississippi Regiment. Copies of some of his military papers indicate President Davis was instrumental in approving his reassignment to the 41st Regiment as Chaplain. 

I have recently discovered the existence of the personal diary of Henry S. Archer for the years of his service in the Confederate Army. A microfilmed copy of the diary has been ordered through  Interlibrary Loan. Can’t wait to get my hands on that.
 
John Samuel Smith, a brother of my great great grandmother, Elizabeth Hurt Smith, also served in the 32nd Mississippi Infantry and died in battle 15 May 1864 in  Georgia. My great great grandfather, Joshua Atwood Tilton, enlisted in Co. D, 8th Regiment Alabama Infantry 10 May 1861. He was discharged 23 Oct 1862, having suffered a severe gunshot wound to the arm, leaving him with little or no use of the arm. He was a railroad engineer before the war and apparently continued that occupation after his discharge.

THANK-YOU Jo, for sharing your quilting talents, and for the stories about the service of two second great-grandfathers, and your second great-grand uncle. How very special to find the diary of one of these soldiers. Perhaps you can transcribe it for a series of blog postings? Just thinking...  ;)
So, DearGenea-Quilters, remember the  Genea-Quilters 2011 Block Challenge runs through 15 April 2011. We're going to raffle the resulting quilt at the Southern California Genealogical Society's Jamboree on Saturday, 11 June 2011 at the Marriott Burbank Conference Center. Proceeds will be donated to the Society's scholarship fund for the 2012 Jamboree.

Leah Day's free-motion quilting tutorials

To contact us Click HERE




Wiggly Woven Lines is one of many Free Motion Quilting videos offered by Leah Day on YouTube. I am SERIOUSLY considering ding the  365 Days of Free Motion Quilting Filler Designs Project. Even if I take time off to attend genealogy conferences and the week-long studies at Samford this year, I'd certainly know a lot more about free motion quilting when I got done.



Although Leah has a website, the Free Motion Quilting Project was so big, she devoted an entire blog on the topic.  http://freemotionquilting.blogspot.com. There's advice about maintaining consistent lines and improving your sewing machine setup.


This girl is rockin'