lotsa blocks!

Here is the list of blocks that I have received so far. What a great effort! Thank you so much for participating.

I know the list is teeny tiny, but if you click on it, it will get bigger so you can read it. There are so very many beautiful blocks that have been sent in, and some fantastic quilts. For the moment we are at 423 quilt blocks, 7 completed quilts (3 in the liberated star format), 8 quilt tops.


Everything is going so very well. Tomorrow some friends are coming over to sort out blocks for quilt tops! Maybe I will take some pictures...

Sweet dreams, all!

Tia

We really will maybe be moving

OK...I know I have a couple more readers these days than I used to, but for those of you who are military of some sort might appreciate this.

We got our RFO today (Request For Orders) so that means we might be moving. Good news, hey? I have had enough experience with the military to not get really excited until we get the real orders to make travel arrangements and prep for the movers. All I am going to say at this moment in time is.....Kansas. Yep. Not Ft Bragg or Ft Campbell...somewhere in Kansas. I am not going to narrow it anymore than that since I don't want o jinx the whole deal. For those of you in Kansas who want to learn to make some bags from your loved ones' uniform....I will be there in July so we will get together then. OK? It still doesn't feel real, so let us go on to my current reality, OK?


Beautiful Bushfire Liberated Star Quilt Blocks....lot and lots of them. Emma is really getting good at locating the different countries you are sending the blocks from, so this makes a great geography lesson. Thank you my friends for that! I have been having a great time skipping around to your blogs and websites learning more about all you wonderful people who are taking some time out of your sewing day to make a block or 2 ...or 50 for this project. You are including the greatest cards and notes and I am hearing over and over about how much you like this type of piecing. I TOTALLY am inspired by Gwen Marston. I want to be her when I grow up. Tonya and Bonnie are deep delicious vats of quilting inspiration too. Sit down with their blogs and a small stack of scraps and see what you can whip up. I LOVE moments like that. Quiet quilting moments...ok that time will come again, no worries!

I am trying to finish up all my bag orders before the madness really kicks off here at the house. See up there on the table? There are 6 Molly Purses up there almost finished! Happy Happy day! I have some awesome bags in my sewing room...I think this last push of bags will be my best ever. You ladies are going to be carrying around some real doosies! Of course while I am working so hard on the bags my mind is in 2 different places. 1) How to organize the quilt blocks that are literally POURING in and 2) 3 new bag designs. Yes yes, I know now is not the time for bag designs, but they come on me unexpectedly. I am holding off on further development until after all (or most) of the bags are done. I may go ahead ant test out a couple new designs on some of you whose uniforms I have had the longest. Obviously these designs are from bits of the sleeves or pants that are not used in the bag you originally ordered. That would be odd, huh? for me to send you something you TOTALLY didn't order. I won't do that to you. But you may get a bonus in your box.

I have a fever...when I am ill my mind is so very creative. Too bad my body can't keep up. This particular plague I think is either my husband's fault or one of my sons or it could be just the fact that I went to the grocery store last week and pushed around those nasty trolleys that are incubators of bacterial growth. Emma and I are laid up...Sam is recovering and I am watching Ethan. He has massive "sick eyes" but so far has yet to display any symptoms other than being really irritable.

OK, back to the organization of quilt blocks for the quilt. My dear and very organized husband made me a wonderful spreadsheet for recording all your lovely blocks as they come in. It even has flags to represent your countries. I love a good spreadsheet. Well, here is my issue. I want each quilt we make together to "go" I want the blocks to "jive". It is OK if some blocks are more noisy than their friends...it is fine if some are really really quiet. I don't mind, but I do want the quilt blocks to get on together. So my deal is How do I keep track of whose quilt blocks are in which quilt top? I have them all labeled (I can't tell you how excited I am about my little system) and sorted into tones. Well I was thinking out loud this evening (OK, I was talking to myself) and my husband happened to think I was talking to him so he gave me his opinion. He think I should just let fate decide the placement of the quilt blocks. Say, the first 25 blocks I receive go into the first quilt top, the second 25 I get go into the second quilt top and so on and so forth. Part of what he says makes wonderful sense, because SO MUCH of this project has come together like there is a Higher power guiding it. I will do some layouts over the next couple days and see if I agree with his plan....

In the mean time look at this! See? There on the left? 2 Totally finished quilts from quiltcraft. She also sent along 2 more lovely blocks...wow. I am amazed. A quilt top by sunflowerquilts and 4 quilt tops by Jean Lemin and Pamela Townsend of Cooranboona (I am not sure if that is spelled correctly). There are also some more bags to be finished....over to the right.Those are Becky Messenger bags in a couple states of formation.

Here are the blocks I have categorized so far :

Kristin L. - Hawaii x2Lurline G. - Port Kennedy x2Julia C. - Port Kennedy x2Milly S. - East Fremantle x2Jacquie G. - KC, Kansas x2Kristin C. - Richboro, PA x2T. Crawford - La Habra, CA x2Ellena O. - Greenville, NC x 4Helen W. - Riddells Creek (VIC) x 2Lorraine M. - Isle of Capri (QLD) x 2 Caroline - Dulwick Hill x 2J. Boath - Adelaide (SA) x4Elanor F. - Orange East (NSW) x 2Kate F - Darwin (NT) x 2L. Choun - Saratoga, CA x2Ramona B. - LIttle Rock, AR x 3Margaret G. - Gorham, ME x 8Leona B. - Spokane, WA x 2Sarah G. - Gainesville, FL x2 Mary N. - Pasadena, MD x 2Marilyn B. - Kansas City, MO x 2Michelle E B - Rahway, NJ x 3Judith M. - Aliso Viejo, CA x 2

Blocks recieved 23 Feb 09

Lisa F -Queensbury, NY- 2Amy F - West Newbury, MA- 2"Harris" -Twain Harte, CA -4Julie T - Toowoomba, QLD- 2 blocks and 2 completely finished liberated star quiltsAndrea B - Greenwood Lake, NY- 5 blocks + 6 rolls of bindingSheirdan P -Stanhope Gardens, NSW -4 quilt blocks + safety pins + roll of bindingTess - York, UK-2Darla T-Medlow Bath - 1Jane -Whitby, UK -2Jennie S - Marengo, IL-10 blocks + backing for 3 quilts and 1 quilt topJean L & - Cooranboona,NSW - 4 quilt tops and fabricPamela TCurrent count = 92 blocks and 2 completed quilts. Awesome!

I still need to sort out the afternoons haul of quilt blocks....which is a pretty big stack. I have a box to collect at the Oz post office tomorrow as well...maybe the backing and thread from Kim??? I will let you know tomorrow!

Oh and I was the guest speaker at the Alice Springs Quilting Guild last night. That was kinda a surprise, but I loved the looks on all the ladies faces as I listed out all the support we had so far from AROUND THE WORLD! "All" I need them for is their skill. This Quilt-a-thon is going to be fantastic and there are some fantastic ladies to sew with here! I can't wait! One of the ladies was talking about a quilt given to her grandmother after a fire years and years ago. It has become an heirloom that the family passes around as one of them move to help them get settled. I hope our quilts will be so treasured.

One last thing then I really am dragging my tail to bed- Jinny Beyer is coming to town. How wild is that? Jinny Beyer way out here in the middle of NOWHERE! I am going to hear her talk and to her workshop, I am going to learn hand piecing. I have always wanted to learn, but everyone uses machines these days. I can't wait. My first ever quilt instructor studied under her way back when. See, more destiny at work!

I love it. I love being an instrument in something so very much bigger. Don't you?

OK, I need to go to bed. I will be back in the morning! I will have my coffee right here with you.

Sweet dreams, all!

Newsprint fabric

I bought some really great newsprint fabric yesterday. It is by Yuwa. Doesn't that look fantastic? I know, mom, You probably hate it, but it is going to look so fabulous mixed in with other prints. I can't wait to cut into it! Where did I get it? Well, since I already bought mine you can get yours HERE at Purl Patchwork.

OK, now I am going to return to my bag sewing!

XO,
Tia

BushFire Quilt Project Day 11

I can't believe it is already day 11 of the Bushfire Quilt Project. I already have a roll of lovely cotton batting in the studio and 58 beautifully made star quilt blocks on my sewing table. You have all put so much thought and effort into your blocks and I thank you so much!


We owe Kim the magnificent of Honeysuckle Cottage a big warm wonderful thank you for getting us an entire roll of cotton batting. It came in Thursday and it looks so very nice. She told me that there is a big box of backing fabric and thread on the way as well. I can't wait! Kathy of Pink Chalk Studio is getting us a bunch of safety pins so we can baste these quilts up as we stack them. My collection of good safety pins is dwindling and I always forget to order more when I am ordering fabric and thread. Thank goodness for Kathy! I sure didn't have enough to baste all the quilts I believe we are going to be making. Sally (Quiltsalad) said she is also sending a bunch of safely pins along with her wonderful quilt top.


On Thursday I met with my quilt club and we discussed the Bushfire Quilt Project. It was met with a great deal of enthusiasm and tomorrow I meet with the event organizer so we can pencil in the date for our big exciting quiltathon. My girlfriends here in town are looking foreword to participating and virtual strangers are coming up to me asking where and when to have their sewing machines so they can help out too. How amazing is that? It is nice to all come together for a cause that is good and has depth of meaning and care involved.

OK...let's look at some blocks. As usual there are so many lovely ones to look at! But here are a couple pictures...please look through the gallery on Flickr so you can see everyones lovely stars. There are some great stars coming out of Germany right now. Looks like Alda Kimafi is leading the charge in that glorious endeavor.

These stars are made by one of the men in the group. There are several, so I won't always refer to you all as ladies. John made these and I see some of my favorite fabrics in them. Great Work John!

Quiltcraft has finished not one, but 2 quilts for the project. Wow. I am amazed by the productivity here. Just beautiful work. This is also a good example of what the quilts will look like when we start to assemble the tops here.

Here are the 58 blocks I have received so far. They are from:

Kristin L. - Hawaii x2Lurline G. - Port Kennedy x2Julia C. - Port Kennedy x2Milly S. - East Fremantle x2Jacquie G. - KC, Kansas x2Kristin C. - Richboro, PA x2T. Crawford - La Habra, CA x2Ellena O. - Greenville, NC x 4Helen W. - Riddells Creek (VIC) x 2Lorraine M. - Isle of Capri (QLD) x 2 Caroline - Dulwick Hill x 2J. Boath - Adelaide (SA) x4*Elanor F. - Orange East (NSW) x 2*Kate F - Darwin (NT) x 2* L. Choun - Saratoga, CA x2* Ramona B. - LIttle Rock, AR x 3*Margaret G. - Gorham, ME x 8* Leona B. - Spokane, WA x 2*Sarah G. - Gainesville, FL x2 *Mary N. - Pasadena, MD x 2*Marilyn B. - Kansas City, MO x 2*Michelle E B - Rahway, NJ x 3*Judith M. - Aliso Viejo, CA x 2

And here is the batting. Thank you again everyone for helping out in this effort. I had no idea it would get this much involvement, but I sure thank you for it. We are looking foreword to stitching up all the quilt tops and get on with the quilting!

Have a great weekend all!

XO,

Tia

this should be 3 posts...but I am so sleepy.

We are up to 201 members in the Flickr Bushfire Quilt Project group! Amazing. I have already received 18 blocks from 9 of you fine ladies. Today has been a very busy sewing day for me...and fine homeschool day for Emma (we learned tons about birds, math and are trying our hand at creative writing).


Great news from Kim of Honeysuckle Cottage! She just sent me a parcel that contains 11 bolts of fabric with 10 metres on each, and 10 x 1000 metre spools of Rasant thread. The fabric is a combined effort of Honeysuckle Cottage and Max New Fabrics, and the Rasant thread (which is the only thing Kim stitches with) has been kindly donated from Sewing Thread Specialists, a thread wholesaler in Sydney. Isn't that fantastic? I sure think it is!

This beautiful star is from GeorgiaMcDonald. I absolutely LOVE all her blocks, this lady has some fantastic star making skills. Her other quilts are lovely too! And as I was clicking along through her flickr pictures...I kept thinking...I KNOW this lady (in a totally normal way...I am no Internet stalker, I have too many other things to do.) I don't know where and I don't know how but I am pretty sure we have met. Don't you hate that? I do. I can't remember names for the life of me, but I remember all faces.

These are some great stars by chaletgirl13. Don't you think?

These lovelies are by mpfox223. Great stars ladies!

All of your stars are so pretty! You are some wonderful star making stitchers. And so darn quick! It is hard to decide which stars to feature....they are all awesome and are all going to go in some great quilts.

This should be a separate post, but I am too tired to do more than one. Here is the back of my latest Date Night clutch. I love the piecing in this one and the quilting is not bad either. I would happily march out of the house with this under my arm and my sweetie at my side.

Here is the inside of the Stu Tote is goes with. I was supposed to be concentrating on the backpacks for her girls, but the tote and clutch kept calling to me, so I finished them up. I have some fantastic Hero bags to work on tomorrow after a little field trip to go take a closer look of some of the amazing birds in the area.

While we live in the desert the bird life here is amazing. I will get some pictures tomorrow!

Rest well all.

xo,

Tia

BushFire Quilt Project Day 6

As of 2030 Alice Springs time there are 188 members of the Bushfire Quilt Project on Flickr. You have all been making the most lovely stars! I was going to try to go through and select my favorites...but I couldn't...there were too many and there is so much lovely work and love in each one. It looks like several of you are making entire quilt tops! I am blown away by your generosity and I can't wait to start quilting these quilts up! I selected several quilt tops below so you can get an idea of what the quilt tops are going to look like...notice the "twinkle" that is created when the stars are all together. Let your eyes roam around, I love them!



So far we have had so very many kind offers for donations of fabric for the backing, Batting for the centers and thread to do the quilting. Thank you all so very much! We will surely use them!

When I say "we" I am referring to my wonderful quilting guild and club here in town...as well as my fabulous friends what are going to help out as well. It is going to be an old fashioned quilting bee with participants from all over the world. We are all going to meet together, stitch up the quilt blocks into tops, stack them, and quilt what we can. It will be a great start. I wish you could come so I could meet you all and give you a personal thank you! After we are finished with the quilts we will work with the quilt guild in Victoria to find suitable homes for each and every quilt.
What a fantastic thing we have going here. Thank you so much for your response to it and all your hard work.


This most wonderful wonky star is by Sara's Scraps...it is just perfectly wonky...more of a super nova almost. So much personality and look at all that Improvisational piecing! I love this star.

This fantastic quilt top is by fissiett. Don't you love the tiny stars within the colored stars? I sure do. Also, can you see the twinkle in this top? I love how this looks.

This vivid quilt top is by Quiltsalad. The twinkle looks so good and the warm tones are wonderful.

This one is by LauraJay. The sweet pinks and white will make it lovely for a little girl who has lost her house.

This last top of the evening is from byneedleandthread. The jewel tones sparkle so nicely.

Can you believe that these ladies have whipped together entire quilt tops for this project...and in just such a short amount of time? I am amazed! Thank you thank you thank you!!!!!!!!

I know several of you have already mailed out blocks and tops and supplies, I will post as soon as I get your things so you can know that they have arrived safe and sound. It takes about 7 to 10 days to get things mailed from the US....I am not completely sure of international mail, but rest assured I will let you know as soon as I get your handmade love for the people of Victoria!

OK, I am going to try to get a couple more bags further along the bag making process!

xo,

Tia

Some more bags are finished

Many of you are new readers visiting my blog to catch up on the Bushfire Quilt Project. Well, I welcome you! Good to have you here. I also make bags. I am trying to get my last group finished up and on their way to their lovely mamas before all your wonky Star blocks come to town.


Being an Army wife and former Army Nurse the military uniform has a special place in my heart. My husband has been away from me more often than he has been with me during our 11 year marriage. That means 2 pregnancies pretty much by myself (he was there for the important part) more Christmases than I remember without him....not to mention birthday parties, anniversaries, first days of school...long lonely nights...bla bla bla...same thing so very many other military wives go through, right? For sure, and I am no different. I liked to sew after tucking the kids in bed. It began with quilts, but quickly shifted focus to making "Camp Follower Bags" when I saw that there was an interest.



Ladies send me their husbands uniforms (each bag I have made is custom made for ONE woman from Her husbands uniform) fill out a long answer/order form where they select their fabric and tell me a bit about themselves. Then I sew for them. I look at each order as a piece of commissioned art. I want each bag to reflect both the man and the woman in the relationship. Each bag is handmade and extensively quilted. They are washable and wear incredibly well. I am still using my first bag I made almost 5 years ago! It is ugly, so I have it holding toys in the boys room...but it is strong and very serviceable. My bags have gotten much better over the years....let me point out a few details on this latest set I made for a fine lady on the East coast...



OK, here are 2 of the 4 inside pockets of the largest bag I make the "Stu Tote". Violets, Roses and Sunflowers are important to this couple, so I made a little flower picture on one of the pockets and "wrote" their 3 children's names on the other pocket. In all my heaps of fabric I have nothing with a usable size Sunflower, so I had to get creative and I made my own. I used raw edge applique to give it both texture and personality.

This is one of my newest bags...it is a wallet, more a pouch, but very handy what ever you want to call it.

I want each "Stu Tote" to look as much like the uniform top as possible so unit patches normally go on the sides and the patches that go on the front of the top remain where they are. I quilt it all up creating a durable and lovely tote bag. These bags are reversible as well. So if you feel like turning your bag inside out it is as lovely on the inside as it is on the out.

This is a date night clutch. Every lady needs that tiny little bag she can feel completely frivolous about. This bag holds only the essentials with a special mad money wallet. I am especially fond of the shaping on this one.

So here they all are...the whole set all ready to mail out. This is a lousy picture due to the time of day, but the bags are lovely. I love August Fields by Amy Butler and I think it looks fantastic with the starched BDU.

Carry them in Health and Happiness!

Code for the Bushfire Quilt Project button

Hi everyone!

Here is the code for posting the Bushfire Quilt Project button on your blog. The button will take you straight to the Flickr group where so much information is Including the address to send the blocks to. (it is also below in one of the other posts...)



http://www.flickr.com/groups/bushfirequiltproject/">http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b286/minimilly/bushfirequiltsbuttoncopy.jpg"/>


Cheers!
Tia

Wonky Star Tutorial

Victoria over at The Silly Boo Dilly has made up a very nice Wonky Star Tutorial. Here is a link to it

http://thesillyboodilly.blogspot.com/2009/02/wonky-star-tutorial.html

She also has an example of a quilt she made a couple years ago with the same type star...look at it and you will see what I mean about the stars "twinkling".

Some of you may be intimidated by this star...please DON"T BE! It is such a fun one. Give it a go and I think you might really like the freedom of not being precise.

Thanks so much Victoria for the great tutorial!

xo,
Tia

BushFire Quilt Project Day 3

Hello there quilters from around the World!

First off I want to say how humbled I am by the response this effort is getting. What an amazing group of quilters we have. Basically this has become a giant quilt group with stitchers from all over the Earth involved. Australia, USA, Luxembourg, France, Germany, Spain, New Zealand, England, Scotland, Canada and Holland! You are coming from all over in our united desire to DO SOMETHING, anything for the people of Victoria. Thank you so much.


What started as me thinking I would try to wrestle up enough blocks for about 3 quilts has swollen into quite a bit more. I am currently in the process of enlisting most of the ladies I know(and gentlemen if they want to come to the party) to participate....my title has altered a bit from quilter to organizer. I think it is going to turn in to a proper quilting bee in no time! As soon as these blocks start arriving I will organize them into quilt top groups. Then probably the first weekend in April we are going to have a very large quilting bee here in town so we can stitch all the blocks together into quilt tops. I am working with the quilt guild and town here in town as well as some from other areas around Australia to organize how we are going to distribute the quilts so they can be stacked, quilted, bound and finally distributed to the people of Victoria.


I hope this puts some of your minds to rest! No, I am not doing this all by myself (I was pretty sure I could do 3....but being the mortal that I am 300 will be a bit much) I am getting so very much assistance from all of you! Thank you so much.


I want to take just a second and give a big Internet Thank You to Kim from Honeysuckle Cottage. She called me yesterday morning to let me know that she had arranged for BOLTS of both backing fabric and batting to layer the quilts with! Then she emailed me later in the day to let me know that she also obtained thread! Thank you so much Kim!


Thank you also for those of you who are blogging about the Bushfire Quilt Project. I am looking at it as a World Wide Quilting Bee. Please feel free to add the button over on the top right of the blog page to your blog. It will take you straight to the Flickr Group.


Now let's look at some of the blocks that have been whipped up so far

This one is from Quiltsalad...she is planning on making in entire top! Thank you so much!

Here are 2 from Kim of Honeysuckle Cottage

Here are some from my friend Kristin . I love that text fabric!

This one is by Fissiett, she took hers up a notch to make a fancy center.

These are by Jacquie G....

As you see each star is a bit different, but all together in one quilt top they are going to "twinkle" the different heights of the points and different shades in the backgrounds...these are going to be some fantastic quilts! Thank you so much for joining me in this!

Don't forget to sign your blocks...you can do it with a fine tip Sharpie Marker or embroider it on. I think it will be nice for the people we give these quilts to know just a bit about who had a hand in making their quilt. Just something simple "Tia from Alice Springs" will do fine. Some friendship quilts have such markings...and since we are friends here I am sure a small name will add to the charm of what we are trying to do.

As I have been making this post a bunch of folks have joined the group and there are a bunch more stars up in the photo pool. Please go explore Bushfire Quilt Project. We have several great discussions going, feel free to join in. You will need a Flickr profile, they are free and I think everyone should have one ;o)

Also I am getting the same questions over and over...there is no dumb question, so don't worry about that, I just can't respond to all of the questions I am getting. My Flickr friend Helen has kindly made a Frequently Asked Question (FAQs) section. There you will find the address to send your completed 12.5" blocks to. I am a chatterbox, so I say a ton and somewhere in what I am blabbing about you will hear what you really want to know...but Helen is able to clearly write the FAQs she is so smart!

Basically you want to know where to send your blocks....OK, I am feeling very naked here but here are my addresses. I have 2. One for people shipping from the USA and another for here in Australia. For those of you who are shipping from elsewhere, I guess you get to choose which one you prefer. Either one will get to me.

Tia Curtis

PSC 276 BOX 89

APO AP 96548

USA

my Australian one is

Tia Curtis

18 Forrest Crescent

Gillen Suburb

Alice Springs, NT 0870

Australia

OK...I am off to work on some bags before the stars come pouring in! Thanks again for all your help!

xo,

Tia

BushFire Quilt Project

Hi everyone!

This post is going to be a call to arms, or more appropriately a call to sewing machines! As many of your know a great deal of the South Eastern part of Australia is on fire. Almost 200 people have burned to death (men, women and children), pets and livestock are gone. Hundreds of homes have been burnt to ashes. Have you ever thought to your self about what you would grab if your house was on fire? What is that one special item that you would make the extra trip back into the inferno for? Well, many of the people of Victoria, Australia did not get that chance. Everything they once had is now covered in Ash. I want to help these wonderful people build new memories, I want to wrap them up in a big quilty embrace, and what better way (beside sending stacks of money, which I don't have) than to wrap them in a blanket of our love? I am talking quilts, folks.


In centuries past women (an I am sure there were some men in the lot) have sat down and quilted when words were not enough to express their loss or grief. We will be doing that. We will be making quilts for these Victorians.


I have started a group on Flickr ( Bushfire Quilt Project ) and I want you to participate with me and the other people who have been moved by the images that they are seeing on TV. I am proposing you make a block or 2 and send them to me. I will assemble the quilt tops, quilt them and send them on to the recipients in Victoria, Australia.



When we question what God has in store for us, do we not look to the heavens? And the Stars look back at us, with their constant peace. The Lord Always has a plan for us, in my opinion our lives are like quilts as we look back over them. A nice block here... this is the best block I have ever created right here in the center...that one could have used a bit more attention... the one over there needed to be completely redone...what the heck was I thinking with that one? some free motion quilting on this side...but each stitch, or life experience has made us stronger in the long run, each one has made us who we are....OK that got a little deep...what I was going for is the type of quilt I would like to assemble with your help. Stars.



In my opinion a "wonky" or "maverick" star is one of the most simple and fantastic of blocks to make. They create a wonderful "twinkle" when all put together, so that is the type quilt I would like to do. I know some of you may feel uncomfortable with this type of thing, but what better time to try something new AND give of yourself in the process? If you totally do not want to make that type of star, no problem, send what ever type of star you want to make (as long as it is 12.5 inches).



Bonnie, who many of you know from Quiltville, has kindly let me link to her tutorial on how to make these very simple quilt blocks (Maverick Star Quilt block tutorial ) This is a great tutorial and you will see how simple they are to make. Just a note...the blocks I need need to be 12.5 inches square, so if you can enlarge your quilt block from that in the tutorial that would be awesome. If this is pretty damn confusing, don't worry, I will have a tutorial up in a couple days so all you have to do is follow along.



For you new stitchers, this is the perfect opportunity to get involved in the generous and kind world of quilters. Mom, this goes for you to. Round up Aunt Sharon and you two can do this together and send the blocks to me.

Here are some of the blocks so far (there were more but I couldn't blog them for some reason).

Here is the deal.... You will make one or 2 (or more if you get in the groove) 12.5 inch quilt blocks (when finished, as in all sewn together with other blocks, they will be 12 inch blocks) then you will send them to me. I will assemble the quilt tops, quilt them and send them on to the recipients in Victoria.

I know the Internet makes the world seem that much smaller, so if any of you know people who have lost their homes in the fires, I would love to give the quilts we make to people we "know" otherwise I will be working with my local quilt guild and the Australian Red Cross to find suitable recipients.

Thank you sew much and PLEASE visit and join my little Flickr group so you can keep abreast of what is going on with this project.

**Ideally I would LOVE to have 3 quilts finished and ready for the bushfire victims by the end of March. This is one heck of a deadline, but together we can do it. Each quilt will consist of 25 blocks (12" x 5 x 5= about 60" square quilt) this will make a great size to wrap up in, snuggle a child or comfort the elderly. Please feel free to email me with questions or comments...I am trying to keep up with the discussions over on Flickr, but it is almost bedtime for me. Thank you so much for your interest and wonderful willingness to help out a stranger. My prayers are with both you and the people of Victoria, Australia.

XO,

Tia

Customer Service

Hi y'all,

Listen, at NO TIME am I holding your stuff hostage. You are welcome to have your uniforms and money back at any time. If you feel I am taking too long, please let me know and I will have your stuff in the mail the next business day. I am sure you are aware that handmade takes time. Most of you are in no rush and you understand that it is just me sewing these bags. I am not a factory. I can't crank them out at light speed. With that said I have had many of your things for over 6 months. I do apologize. I wish I could sew faster, but I get caught up in details of each individual bag and that takes time. At this point I am pretty sure that most of the uniforms I have are cut up, so you will not be getting an intact uniform back when I send it...but I will return it. I promise. I am working as fast as I can that I promise you also.

Also if you are in a super hurry, let me know that as well. Communication is key. I really have no clue what is going on in your world, so I really will do my best to make you happy, but I can't always.


Have a super doper day!

Great Saturday of sewing.

Thanks so much for sitting down with me and holding my hand the other day. Sorry about that...I have moments of frustration. And I forgot to tie in the whole Martyr thing from the beginning of the post! My whole point of the suicide bomber was that I do not want to become a martyr for my kids...killing myself for something that they really don't even care about. I am going to continue with the homeschooling for the next 4 months (we move in less than 4 months! Oh my gosh) since it is really the only way to go here, but when we get to our next duty station I will hunt out a school that has programs for children with hearing impairments. I have heard great things about the schools where we (may) be going so I will keep my fingers crossed.


Then I can sew all day every day! My Emma needs me here and dammit I will be here for her! Ha.


OK, I am in a better mood than I was the last post...why you ask? Well I sewed all day yesterday! The kids dashed around the house in their PJs and so did I. Great great day. I did forget all about a dinner date I had set up with Wendy (sorry about that).

Soooo let me show you what I finished up...

Well this is really the last thing I finished up. I watched Pride and Prejudice late last night with a glass of Riesling (not my favorite white, but it is from one of my favorite Australian vineyards...I wonder if they have a website? Let me check....they do! http://wynns.com.au/ I highly recommend the Cab Sav if they carry any of their wines in your neck of the woods.) SO this is the first piece I have ever entirely hand quilted, and I did some during Emma reading to me, but most during my movie last night. Very peaceful evening. This little wall hanging was inspired by this little quilt on Flickr. I was going to make it into a pillow, but then changed my mind and decided my walls need some color in our bed room.

So here is A. Burleson' Stu diaper bag and diaper changing pad. Well, this is an inside out picture, because I wanted to show some pocket detail.

Here is her entire order all together out in the early morning sunshine. Don't they look so happy? I think they are so happy because they are finally finished and ready to go to their new home.

Here is the inside of the Stu with the rolled up diaper changing pad and pocket panel...and big happy deco daisies.

I really like her order. Thank you so much for your wonderful patience, Alyce! All of you that I am sewing for are so patient, I can't tell you how much I appreciate that. Handmade does take time, but I think it is worth it. ;o)

Ideology...

I just want to go ahead and give you a warning...the beginning of this post may (or may not) offend you if you are a believer in Islam. OK...you know when the people in the Middle East strap bombs to their chest and have a friend remote detonate them so they can become a martyr and get their 77 virgins? I have been thinking about this...do the female suicide bombers also get 77 virgins? I wouldn't want a bunch or virgins fumbling around with my heavenly form...I would want a bunch of men who knew what to do...how to make my body throb, how to make.....well I will leave that up to your imagination...and I really wouldn't want 77, just a couple heck maybe just one. Anyway, people's version of heaven is different, right? I think I am pretty darn close to Heaven on earth right now...3 lovely kids, a wonderful husband and a sewing studio full of the most wonderful fabric! But man! I have barely even had a chance this week to go into my sewing studio! What the heck was I thinking when I decided to home school Emma? My entire day is just evaporated with history, math, reading, spelling, handwriting, more reading....ahhhhhhh! All I have managed to do is make a big fat mess of my sewing room. I set Emma up with some math to do...I figure I will have some time to work on a bag....nope. I don't. So I set it aside and tidy up the house a bit, that really is all I have time for. It is really making me nuts. I always knew I did a ton of sewing while the kiddos were at school, but now I am feeling the lack of creativity and it actually hurts.



This Home school stuff hurts. Not in the fact that is is hard to do, because it is not. It is not hard to sit down and teach my daughter. She loves it and absorbs it like my teaching is the word of the Lord. Which will lead me to my next thought...so remind me to get back to it. What is hard about home school, for me, is loosing yet another identity. I used to be and Army nurse. I was a professional and I contributed to society...then I had a bunch of babies and decided to stay home and raise them since my husband was in the position to take care of us in descent form. I was still contributing to society by doing my best to raise a responsible, considerate, and intelligent set of kiddos. I missed my professional status, but contorted myself and I became the MOM person. I drove the kids around town we went to school and I led the parade through the grocery stores...but I still had an outlet. I could slip into my sewing studio and create. My vanity was stroked by you wonderful ladies who liked the bags I made. I was so happy. Now since I don't sew at all (...barely at all) I do not have that outlet. I am quite frustrated because I am a person who needs to have SOMETHING to be working on. I am having growing pains and they hurt. My temptation is right in the next room calling to me like the temptress it is...my fabric whispering about the things I could make, it would just take a second to start....the sewing machine is already loaded up...




Part of me really wants to put her back in school...it has only been a week after all. But it has only been a week. And Emma loves sitting down with me at the table....the bags can wait another day, I am sure I will get a good bunch finished this weekend...Gosh I am torn. When I lived on Wainwright Drive on Ft Hood I had a wonderful neighbor who home schooled her 3 little girls. She had her masters from Harvard and had been a Major in the Air Force, so she was a very sharp lady. Smartest mom of the street. Ever since Emma's hearing impairment surfaced I have been tossing around home school in my mind. Louise said to me "Tia, no one knows your child or wants more for them than you. You will be her best teacher." and I know I will, but I am having a hard time letting go of my sewing identity. Silly I know...but true.



Which leads me back to my other point....Teachers have a really impressive position in society. They can really influence what a child learns and how a child interprets that knowledge. I have a great deal of Science in my educational background so I love finding out the WHY? of things, but the material I selected to teach from is SONLIGHT. It is Christian based, which I have no problem with since I am Christian, but some of the answers really annoy me, so that will also take some getting used to. OK OK I am finished whining....forgive me I had to get it off my chest. My mate is in the US freezing his tail feathers off so I don't have him to discuss this with.


So onto another subject...here is a big fat stack of fabric. I think that is 4 separate orders. But they all arrived today. Some were held up at customs I think one was mis-sent to Antarctica...but anyway they are here now. Aren't they pretty?

Here is a shot of the sky...it is 115F and about 25% humidity. The air is so think and hot it is like sucking in hot water. This is nothing to the weather in Darwin or Melbourne right now, but I think it is hot...hotter than my parents and husband are at the moment anyway.

Now last but not least... I couldn't take it another moment! The boys were tucked in bed and at least sorta quite, Emma just HAD to finish one more math worksheet so I figured I had about 30 minutes before I totally crashed (I am pretty out of shape with this single parenting business....I can't even tell you how I dread the next deployment. By 2000 this house is locked down tight as Ft Knox minus the guard towers...and prisoners and I am sound asleep.) I was looking through the pictures of Fresh and Modern quilts on Flickr and was totally blown away by THIS little quilt. I knew I could piece it really quick using up some scraps and some stash (I have lots of stash that is feeling very lonely these days) so I quickly stitched it up and stacked it and even got a couple hand quilting stitches in before passing out in my bed. I love the Improvisational manner of this quilt and the turquoise and red look awesome together to my eyes. I think at this point it is going to become a pillow...maybe a wall hanging. But I am going to stitch on it while Emma reads to me.

I was woken at about 0130 my my middle man crawling up in bed with me and wanting to discuss the cat. I have no idea what I agreed to, but then the youngest got in bed with us at about 0500. He is terrible to snuggle with because he does this roll of death thing (like crocodiles) with the quilts and steals them all. Very annoying. So I got up. And it all began again....Stu please come home soon! Erica and Wendy have been babysitting me very well and call to check on me almost everyday.....Gosh I have some great friends here. Can you guys just move with me?

OK, Dinner is ready and if you don't take Martha Stewart LIVING for some reason the February issue is fantastic. I got it yesterday and it is full of really nice meals and ideas.

XO,

Tia

She crossed the line...

Do any of you have strong willed daughters? I sure do. My daughter pushed me a bit to far today and I brought down my version of "you are now a Buddhist Monk...but you are a girl and you are not Buddhist"


How many times have I told my daughter to tidy up her room this week? This month? I lost count and I decided that is was nonsense. I am the mother and what I say goes! Amen! I marched in with garbage bags...bagged up all her toys, dolls and clothing. I left her 2 outfits and her books. She also has 3 dolls that I couldn't bare to see in bags and then stuffed into our storage shed in the back yard. She will have the opportunity to earn back her clothing and maybe some of her toys...we will see about the toys. If she can take care of her few items now and demonstrate a bit of responsibility towards those items I will consider a return of some things. But the rest are going to the Women and Children Shelter in town.

The boys were amazingly well behaved during my rampage...telling me they loved my dress and how lovely I looked (bug eyed and red-faced with my nostrils flared in fury...probably not so pretty, but I appreciate where they were coming from) asking me if they could get me a glass of water or maybe a piece of chocolate?

I do admit that maybe my BP was a little elevated and I am feeling the stress of having my husband out of town...but her room is now clean and no one was beaten.

A little bedtime story for you...

So, today I was dropping my son off at school (3rd day of school) and I noticed a lady that was clearly American. I also knew that I had never seen her before. This is a very tiny town and I pretty much at least "recognize" all the American spouses here if not know them. So I marched right up and asked her how her son was adjusting to school and if they had been here long...bla bla bla. She said that they had been here less than a month, and had no vehicle and lived on the far side of town. So I offered my assistance if she needed it. Well...I was treated to something that I don't think I have ever experienced before (here anyway...I have experienced it plenty elsewhere in the Army). I was told that she was "the commanders wife" and she was fine. This was all said in an amazingly condescending tone. Well...I knew exactly what command she was referring to and if the two of us wives were going to wear our spouses rank mine far outranked her mate. I congratulated her on her status of "Commander's wife" and gave her my phone number and told her to call me if she ever needed anything.

As I was going about my day today I kept reflecting back on that incident. I could have spouted out my husband's rank to show how the whole military rank thing goes...but instead I was recalling one of my mom's favorite stories.

Since she is not here to type I will tell it for her (my mom tells it much better). My father was in the Army for a very long time so my mom was an officer's wife for a long time...even before I was a twinkle in my father's eye (as he likes to say). Well sir, the army was a different organization back in the 60's and 70's heck even the 80's. Ladies had calling cards that they left when they stopped by for a visit...ladies were ladies and men were warriors (I might be getting off onto a romance novel kick here in a moment, so if I do just smack your computer and I will start making sense again....maybe).

When my Dad was a lieutenant or junior Captain my mom attended a coffee (she had attended many before and many more after, but this is the one I am going to share with you now). The guest speaker was some General officer and there were about 200 ladies present all dressed pretty and sitting at long tables. The General got up and began his speech...but he halted and said "Ladies will you please go ahead and assemble yourselves according to your rank?" After a moment the ladies got up and began shifting seats and the chatter rose and little clutch bags and pillbox hats were scooted. Ladies knew so much about their mates...they knew when they had been commissioned and how long they had held the rank they currently wore on their collars...then they even began discussing awards their husbands had earned...schools attended...after about 20 minutes all the officer's wives had settled down into their seats according to their ranking. The General stood and observed it all from behind his podium. When the room was quite once again and all the eye shadowed gazes were once again turned towards him he leaned back to the microphone and said "Ladies, you have no rank. Your husbands do, but you do not."

I always remember that tale when I encounter a lady who is sporting her husband's mighty (or not so impressive) rank on her narrow shoulders. We, as spouses are not soldiers....hell, the only thing I command is my house and my truck. As far as commander status goes I have little attempted mutinies almost every other day with my little troopers (my kids in case I am loosing some of you). I can't get them to keep their rooms clean I can't get them to put their dirty dishes in the sink....It takes an act of God to get us out of the house on time....I am overwhelmed with my own command issues, I sure can't take on my husbands!

Obviously this does not apply to you who are duel military....I did that for a while and decided that that was way too difficult if I was going to be the best mother and wife that I could be. More power to you and my prayers are with you!

I really have so much to blog about, but I am just too tired to cover anything else right now. I have a really big project that is all but complete and I am really looking foreword to blogging about it, but that will have to wait until next week.