A Ditchin' Time Quilts

Paul's College Graduation!! YEAH!!

2013-05-22T20:45:00.000-04:00

Our son

Paul Warren Angelo

graduates with honors from

MICA

Maryland Institute College of Art

Baltimore Maryland

Class of 2013

A weekend celebration! MICA started the graduation festivities last week with Art Walk 2013. Here the seniors, all 400 of them, got to show their stuff. All the painters, illustrators, sculptures, graphic artists, fiber artists, photographers and film majors had their work on display. The exhibit covered 8 buildings and about 30 floors! I have never seen so much talent. Paul's work covered one wall. He photos were all done in medium format film. You can see his senior work HERE!

Paul with his Commencement Exhibition

Bachelors of Fine Art

Photography and Film

Kevin and I are very proud!

Paul with his younger brother Matt

Me, Paul and Matt

Car trash bags can be pretty!

2013-03-30T03:44:00.000-04:00

Car Trash Bag Anna Maria Horner LouLouThi

Summer Totem Grapefruit

in our ETSY shop

Car Trash Bag Anna Maria Horner LouLouThi

Summer Totem Strudel

now in our ETSY shop

Our car trash bags are great gifts!

Please visit our shop:

GreenGoose at ETSY

Stephanie and Kevin

AQS Lancaster Quilt Show Trip

2013-03-21T01:39:00.002-04:00

Lunch with my fellow co-workers while at AQS Lancaster PA

Last week me and some of the girls I teach quilting to all took a field trip to the AQS Lancaster Quilt Show. We had a great time. We even had a little guy tag along at only 8 weeks old! This is his third quilting adventure since he came to this show and two quilting classes. We enjoyed showing each other our finds and left with lots of great ideas.

I had entered a quilt into the contest but it didn't make it into the show. I was disappointed but once I saw the quilts that made it into the show I saw why, they are amazing. I worked 3 solid months on the quilt I entered but the ones we saw looked like they were worked on for years. Below is a picture of the quilt I entered. Maybe one day it will win an award but then I would have to get it back from our daughter! I don't think that will happen easily because she loves it.

close up view of hand quilting and bead work

Me with Sarah after her college graduation.

For more pictures of the mexican window quilt I made for our daughter, go here!

Sale ~ St Patricks Day ETSY Sale

2013-03-14T08:01:00.002-04:00

GreenGoose's Lime Green Chevron Car Trash Bag on ETSY

We are having a sale in our ETSY shop. 20% OFF select GREEN car trash bags now until midnight Sunday March 17th. Don't let time run out. Head over to our shop now.

Giveaway on our FB page!

2013-02-23T17:49:00.000-05:00

Help us build our

Facebook Fan page...

Like us on FB and once we get to 100 LIKES...

We will pick a name at random and one special FB follower will win a GreenGoose Car Trash Bag of their choice! Please share this page so we can get to 100 LIKES!

AND THE WINNER IS.....RUBY RUTH! Congrats to her for winning a car trash bag. Join our FB Fan page to keep aware of future giveaways and sales!

Thanks all! Stephanie and Kevin

Inventory Sale in our ETSY shop

2013-02-14T01:34:00.000-05:00

SALE!

Here is our inventory sale!

We have 14 car trash bags marked down to make room for new fabrics. All are available in gearshift OR headrest hanging style.

SALE!

Ravens Win SUPER BOWL 2013 - XLVII

2013-02-04T02:57:00.000-05:00

Some of the NICU nurses and respiratory therapists

showing off their Ravens purple pride.

Of course I had to work! I am a NICU RN at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and that's me on the far left with some of my co-workers. There purple staff members had high hopes that the RAVENS would win while taking care of the smallest Ravens Fans in Baltimore. We were quite excited to hear the news and celebrate with each other.

High from the 8th floor, the NICU staff celebrated and watched out the window to see grid lock in the Baltimore streets. Cars were not moving, we could hear horns honking from high on the 8th floor. You could see the helicopters by the Inner Harbor. Local news showed crowds and crowds of people in the streets celebrating. We were all glad we were here and not having to deal with the traffic. There were a lot of happy Baltimore Fans headed into the city still at 2 am and the Baltimore City Police had to shut down major highways leading into the city to keep out more fans entering into what was already considered grid lock. We however were safe and sound, enjoying good eats.

Go Ravens!!!

2013-01-26T16:33:00.000-05:00

You can buy this in my ETSY shop!

Help me identify this fabric!

2013-01-26T15:58:00.002-05:00

Does anyone recognize this fabric?

It was in a stash bag I found and can't find anymore!

Thanks, Steph

A Friend Retires!

2013-01-20T04:31:00.001-05:00

I am top center and my friend Kathy who retired is on my right.
(my arm is on her shoulder)

I have had the pleasure to work 26 years along side my dear friend Kathy. She started just after me at Johns Hopkins and we have worked together for the entire time. This week we celebrated her retirement from Johns Hopkins as a Registered Nurse in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. I hope she has an awesome retirement filled with fun things to do. She is a very crafty lady so I am sure she will find something fun to work on. Here's to you Kathy! Congrats from all of us~ Me, Sharon, Diane, Trish, Dawn, Andrea and Kathy R.

Hubby is sewing!

2013-01-03T00:55:00.000-05:00

Kevin is making as many bags and I am!

Now we are a hubby and wife team.

Our ETSY shop

New Serger!

2012-12-22T06:41:00.001-05:00

This is my new toy!

Funny how things that mean so little to others means so much to me!

This is one nice engine, I can't wait to find things to use it for.

Any suggestions?

Men's Tee Shirt Quilt

2012-12-20T19:08:00.001-05:00

Men's Tee Shirt Quilt
40 " x 65"

I was asked by a friend to make a tee shirt quilt for her to give her husband for Christmas and this was the result. I had some challenges, as there were 20 tee shirts that she provided me to pick from, each one important....his college, favorite football team, his trips, favorite bar, hiking trips and many more. I believe these kind of quilts are the least attractive and difficult to become creative with! I think I did a pretty good job! For the first time ever, I decided to try the "piece as you go" quilting method. This was more difficult than I anticipated but it finally got done just in time! Hope her hubby loves it!

back of tee shirt quilt

Happy Holidays to all my quilting friends!

Christmas Cookies in Quilts

2012-12-12T04:29:00.002-05:00

Happy Holiday!

Thanks once again to my friend Eileen for coming up with these wonderful mini quilting squares in the holiday theme. They were made as a gift for a dear lady Linda Schiffer who lets me use her quilting shop Seminole Sampler to hold quilting classes. May all of you have a safe and wonderful holiday!

Time with Family - THANKFUL

2012-11-28T01:25:00.000-05:00

my boys and our dog....
Jimmy, Matthew and Paul and our 5 year old Golden named Dale

Me and the boys, Thanksgiving 2012

Hi all, been under the weather since working the weekend and the holiday so this is my first time to post since Thanksgiving Day. I wanted to share some pics of our day. Having my two older sons home from college was nice and short. Now they are gone again. It went too fast. Our youngest is a senior in college so soon I will be empty nest. Luckily I have a great hubby who will keep me company. I hope everyone has a great holiday! Here's a toast to all and a prayer for those who might need one. Thanks for looking.....Stephanie

Eating outside this year, temperature extremely unusual
We rented heaters just in case! They were on the whole time!
Love the quilted tablecloths.

turkey shaped name tags

fire pit for s'mores after dinner

my breast cancer quilt on the couch

blanket in case we got cold

Uncle Mike, the best turkey carver -
love his apron!

MB and Aunt Beth

Kelly Anne, Molly and Aunt Grier
In the background, Uncle Mike, Robby and hubby Kevin

kids enjoying the fire pit

my cousins loving the hammock

fence decorations

Emma loves this day!

Dinner outside!

Appetizer and Drink table

Buffet style

Desserts were waiting...YUM!

During Sandy

2012-11-03T02:15:00.000-04:00

Sandy brought massive destruction to the states just North of me. I have said a prayer for all those who have suffered loss of loved ones and for the loss of homes and property. God bless all of you!

I worked the entire 3 nights of the storm in the NICU at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore Maryland. We heard about the evacuation of the NICU in New York at NYU and our thoughts and prayers went immediately to the staff. What we were hearing was that the babies had to be hand carried down 9 flights of stairs in the dark into waiting ambulances, all while Sandy was flooding the streets! Wow! I can't imagine having to move our 45 babies under those circumstances! I know we are trained to do it but it seems so crazy. Here are some pictures that made me proud to be a NICU RN!

Nurse Margot Condon cradles a preterm baby during the evacuation. No incubators, no heat except from Margot.

AMAZING!

Large Format

2012-10-15T02:52:00.001-04:00

My son Paul is working with this camera...a large format camera.

He is senior in college at MICA

Did you know about this camera?

Large Format photography

is something I have never really known about.

Matthew my son is a senior in

high school and this was

spirit day...all dressed up.

Seniors are yellow

and juniors are red.

Having fun, oh those were the days.

My first quilting contest entry!

2012-10-01T00:03:00.000-04:00

I finally did it, entered my first quilting contest! The AQS in Lancaster is the contest I entered. It is scheduled for March 2013. I won't find out if my quilt is accepted until December, crossing my fingers my quilt meets their vigorous requirements. This is the quilt I made for our daughter in May when she graduated from college. Below are some pics of the quilt, the picture I used for inspiration and a pic of Sarah with the quilt. She says she is willing to part with it if I end up making it into the contest!

Go here to see my posts about how

I made this original design quilt!

more GreenGoose car trash bags

2012-09-29T01:34:00.005-04:00

Leopard with black trim

Enjoying some downtime away from my busy job at Johns Hopkins. In my Etsy shop, I have received multiple custom orders which is keeping me busy. I had no idea how many of these I would sell. I guess this design of mine ended up being a hit! Yeah!

Leopard with pink trim

Black and white Damask

Zebra with black trim

Go to my online Etsy shop!

And the winner is....

2012-08-31T14:27:00.000-04:00

To celebrate the revitalization of my ETSY shop, I had a giveaway last week to celebrate. My designer car trash bags was offered as the prize. The winner is Tango Treasures! Congratulations Laurie from Tango Treasures!

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max:

Result:

2Powered by RANDOM.ORG

Giveaway ~ My Designer Car Trash Bag

2012-08-19T04:56:00.000-04:00

Designer Car Trash Bag Giveaway!!

To celebrate the revitalization of my Etsy Shop "GreenGoose", I am having a giveaway of my designer car trash bag. It is hot pink and has black trim, fancy and fun.

This bag easily hangs over the center great shift. This bag is made of faux animal print polyester and is unlined. It has a Pellon stabilizer inside to give it body and it allows you to place a plastic bag over it for your trash. The shape is round but over time it will mold to how you use the bag. It measures 13" tall x 10" wide. Any recycled plastic bag will fit. I use a doggie poop bag or my leftover grocery store veggie bags.

Each person has 5 chances to win this bag:

HURRY, GIVEAWAY ends Wednesday Aug 29, 2012
(using the random generator I will pick a winner)

#1 - Become a follower of my blog and leave me a comment letting me know you became a follower or you already are a follower.

#2 - Blog about the giveaway and leave me a comment with a link to your post.

#3 - Pin a picture of the bag giveaway on Pinterest and then comment you pinned it.

#4 - Add my Etsy shop to your favorites in YOUR Etsy account and then comment you did.

#5 - Google + (share it with your circles) see button to the right, leave me a comment that you did.

Each comment gives you a chance to win, 5 comments = 5 chances to win!

If anyone wants to buy one of my bags, head over to my Etsy Shop and buy one of your own. If you don't see something you like, you can special order one in a color or theme you prefer! Thanks for your support!

Tutorial for repairing a QUILT

2012-08-13T20:59:00.001-04:00

Tutorial: REPAIRING A QUILT

Wedding Ring Quilt

This is an old wedding ring quilt that is in need of repair!

Many areas are fraying and thread bare.

As you can see above, some peices were gone.

And below is the finished product!

So, how is it done?

I started by gently taking out the piece, one stitch at a time.

An old quilt top never quilted,

an excellent source of fabric!

Next, I cut a piece of feedsack fabric from an old quilt top I purchased from ebay.

Start by cutting a raw shape, not exact by any means. Here I am slipping the fabric under where you can and begin pinning with applique pins.

You can see in this picture how I tucked under the piece where the original block was tucked under and I folded the block where it goes on top of the other pieces.

Using quilting thread, I hand appliqued the piece into place. Doing this makes some of the hand quilting come out. In this case, I secured the old quilting thread by knotting them and attaching my new thread to the ends, then re-quilting the new piece into place.

Another example of fraying

Sharp pointed scissors is the key to picking apart the pieces!

After removing the worn piece

new piece pinned into place -

place under edges of folded pieces

and fold on top where you can't get it under.

After stitching and after the repair is finished,

this is what it should look like.

Here you can see how the piece was simply

appiqued on the edges.

The back shows extra sewing, the I decided that is the price you pay for having to repair. If it was a light colored backing, it would be less visible but of course this one is brown. Oh well, this quilt will be able to used for many more years.

Time for a new purse

2012-07-30T22:40:00.002-04:00

My new purse, hot off the sewing machine. I bought this wonderful linen in New York last summer from Purl. The linen is by Kokka Echino, and these colors were calling my name! I searched for a pattern that would fit my 1/2 yard (the bag) and 1/2 yard (the handles). If you look closely, they are coordinating prints.

I used natural linen for the lining and I

used some of my scraps for the pockets.

The grommet I choose is Metalic Camouflage by Dritz.

I thought it brought out the multiple colors in this linen.

Views from both sides

Credit must go to this wonderful book....

Sew Serendipity Bags

by Kay Whitt

Some of the pics of putting it together...

quilting my linen, drawing the lines with wax pencil

pockets on lining

Magnetic snaps, reinforced with Peltex 70

I am very happy, now maybe a wallet? Hmmmmm....

Working on my BOM's from Sue Spargo

2012-07-22T22:02:00.000-04:00

January

February

March

I have been busy doing some hand sewing while recovering from my shoulder surgery on June 13. In two weeks I will be able to lift up to 10 pounds but until then I will have to stick to hand sewing. My shoulder is healing well and I finally out of the pain I was experiencing preop.

I have received Jan through July but so far these are the only ones I have started. I still have lots of hand work to embellish on them. Lots of new stitches I have never done before. When finished, it will look like this:

Sue Spargo's BOM

Earth 'N Twig

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.

Out of commission...

2012-06-15T19:46:00.001-04:00

Out of commission for a couple of weeks!

I had shoulder surgery on Wednesday. My bicep tendon was completely torn and had to be reattached with 4 pins. I started physical therapy today. I have 4 small incisions. The surgeon fixed the tendon and shaved off some bone spurs. I am hoping to get some hand work done at some point maybe next week. Until then, lots of rest!