Michigan Quilts!

Michigan Quilter Takes Over the World!!!

2012-05-30T10:43:00.001-04:00

Friends,

I received an email this morning from Kathie over at http://inspiredbyantiquequilts. I love her blogs! Anyway, she wondered why people were telling her that when they did a search looking for her on the Internet, my picture and name popped up and it looks like I have taken over her blog! OMG!

So I've started to dig into the problem, and posted questions looking for help all over.

I posted a question about our problem here:

https://productforums.google.com/forum/?fromgroups#!category-topic/websearch/unexpected-search-results/xbxsNfNqTgw

I also found out that there are other blogs that look like I "took" over ("have" me as the author).

quiltingthetownred.blogspot.com
handquiltingstitches.blogspot.com
appliqueaddict.blogspot.com
quiltsalott.blogspot.com
welshquilts.blogspot.com
myquiltdiary.blogspot.com
gloriousapplique.blogspot.com
www.glenndragone.com

It looks like the owner of these blogs are either my blog followers or followers of my blog followers.

How do we fix this? It looks like I'm taking over other people's blogs, and I've done nothing! It's obviously a Google issue, but I feel like people are looking at me and thinking, "Evil, evil woman!"

Step one: Earth

Step two: The Milky Way Galaxy

Step three: The entire universe

Bwahahahahahahahahahah!

Michigan State University Gardens

2012-05-26T17:48:00.001-04:00






A Teddy bear Topiary!	What a fun way to spend the morning with a friend! Thanks, Cheryl!

Binding going on!

2012-05-23T19:20:00.001-04:00

This is always the exciting stage of quilt making because you know the end is near.

It's also a sad time for me because the quilt has been such a regular part of my life for so long, and soon our daily time together will be over.

Design Wall for Quilters

2012-05-22T17:53:00.001-04:00

I dream of a quilt studio in the woods overlooking a lake or stream, watching birds and wildlife outside my window as music plays quietly over an expensive Bose stereo system. I can stitch away the day with no other responsibilities except to be a wonderful wife and grandma. That’s not likely to happen any time soon, so I’m ~~content~~ begrudgingly working in my unfinished basement with the beautiful yellow cement block walls. But a design wall would make all the difference, so the Woodworker, being the fabulous husband that he is, helped make THAT dream a reality for Mother’s Day.

If you’ve wondered how to create your own design wall, here’s how we did it, in pictures.

	We started by buying a sheet of 1.5 inch thick Owens Corning Foamular. I opted for one 4 x 8 foot sheet rather than two for the time being. I can always add another one later if I need it.
	The Woodworker made a frame for the back that was glued in place for stability and for hanging. The frame is the size of the sheet of Foamular.
	Two cross members help to secure the frame and add more stability. Note how the print on the Foamular is at the BACK of the sheet, not the front. That is important!
	We purchased Warm & White cotton batting to wrap around the Foamular, making sure we had enough to wrap to the back and staple.
	The cotton batting was wrapped around to the back and DOUBLED over prior to being stapled with a staple gun. I let the Woodworker handle the staple gun because he is, after all, a professional.
	I showed my professional woodworker how to miter the corners, and he did a wonderful job.
	Two hooks were screwed into beams along the rafters above the basement wall in my sewing area. Two hooks were screwed into the wooden board across the top of my design wall. A chain was used to suspend the design wall from the rafters.
	See? It works perfectly! Some day soon you’ll see my fantastic design wall strutting it’s stuff with actual quilt fabrics arranged in a pleasing fashion. Imagine how great a design wall would be in YOUR house, overlooking a lake or stream… with soft music… Yeah, yeah. I know.

If you leave a comment below, please tell the Woodworker how appreciative of him you are. You can find him during the day at Mosey’s Woodworks in beautiful downtown Flushing.

Yes We Can, Jane quilt update number 20

2012-05-22T06:15:00.001-04:00

The quilting is now complete, and all that remains to be done is:

A hanging sleeve for the back
Sewing the binding on by machine
Hand stitching the binding closed with mitered corners
Washing the quilt (gasp)
Sewing on the label (still unsure as to who will be making the label)

	Duff’s Bluff by Elizabeth Brandt
	Bright Star by Nancee Marchinowski
	God’s Eye by Carrie Dominguez
	Block by Sue Mohr
	Block by Valerie Langue
	Block by Valerie Langue
	Lemoyne Star by Betty Grant
	Michelle’s Garden by Ruth Davis This little block has 33 pieces in it!
	Ohio Star by Ruth Garrett
	Brandon’s Star by Fernande Authuys
	A larger photo will be posted after the steps at the top of this post have been taken.

2012-05-21T14:10:00.002-04:00

Lexington, Michigan May 19, 2012

Not much quilting was completed over the weekend, as it was beautiful here! We rode the bike to Lake Huron and stared at the water. Gorgeous!

More quilting to come later today.

Published by Caron Mosey at Michigan Quilts! 2012

Mother's Day

2012-05-14T10:20:00.001-04:00

How was your Mother's Day? We spent time with son Sean, Daughter-in-law Kim and our grandchildren. The weather was beautiful, and it was a glorious day all-around.

Yes We Can, Jane quilt update number 19

2012-05-13T11:51:00.001-04:00

Happy Mother’s Day to everyone!

It’s a beautiful day in Michigan… hope your day is just as lovely!

Just a few pictures today to update you on the process of the quilt. The quilting is almost finished!

	Basket by Linda Frihart
	Flowers by Betty Grant
	Star by Linda Frihart
	Pink flower by Andrea Kozoil

A reminder to all the ladies who have participated in the making of the Obama quilt: If you haven’t yet sent Elizabeth a photo of yourself, please do so ASAP. She is waiting on those. If you don’t remember how to contact her using her email, please use our Yahoo group to get a message to her or to post your photo in your photo album on the site.

We are also looking for someone to make the label for the quilt. If labels are “your thing,” please contact me (Caron) and let me know. An embroidered label would be lovely!

Random pictures on a Saturday morn

2012-05-12T08:38:00.001-04:00

Sometimes it’s fun to go through your old picture files and see what’s there. Why don’t you do the same thing?

NOTE:

Set the timer so you’re not sitting there reminiscing all day long!

Yes We Can, Jane quilt update number 18

2012-05-06T09:38:00.001-04:00

Sorry for my blog absence… I‘ve received lots of emails wondering if I was OK. Other than a little upset tummy on Friday, I have been fine. We had a major storm blow through the State of Michigan , and the area where I live had what some are calling the “Hundred Year Flood.” Schools all through our county (Genesee) were closed Friday, and because of my icky tummy I was up all night watching the lightening and listening to the rain and hail beat on our house.

I took the photo below around the corner from my house. This yard sits next to a small creek, that flooded up hill into the yard almost to the driveway.

I opted to stay home on Friday, catch up on sleep, and work on our quilt. I’ve tried to stay away from the computer as much as possible lately and focus more time on finishing the quilting. The photos below show more completions, but it isn’t finished yet!

	The Pace of Congress by Gayle McKay
Papa’s Star for Malia by Linda Starkey
	Opening Gates by Kathy Timmons
Hexagon Flower by Valerie Langue
	Flag by Jeannine Hanner
Obama’s 2009 Halloween by Caroline Van Maele
	Block by Linda Starkey
Block by Christine Olson
	Heart and Hand by Ruth Gregg
Town Square by Kathy Timmons
	Pineapple by Judy Lindsay
Tennessee by Kathy Timmons
	Washington’s Puzzle by Kathy Timmons
Kimono With Obi, by Gayle McKay

More to come! We’re nearing the finish line!

Yes We Can, Jane quilt update number 17

2012-04-22T09:02:00.001-04:00

	Bird on a Branch by Elizabeth Brandt
Obama s First Christmas by Caroline Van Maele
	Charm Basket by Susan Mina
Flying Geese Nine Patch by Jean Amundsen
	Unknown
Log Cabin by Linda Frihart

Yes We Can, Jane quilt update number 16

2012-04-21T10:08:00.001-04:00

Here is the most current update on the quilting:

	Album block by Fernande Authuys
Housing Crisis by Caron Mosey
	Eagle by Judy Lindsay
Nobel Peace Prize by Caron Mosey
	Harvard by Kathy Timmons
Earth by Elizabeth Brandt
	Auto Industry by Caron Mosey
Campaign for Change Logo by Patti Baymiller

My job: To serve and protect

2012-04-17T12:34:00.000-04:00

Mom is at work. She thinks she has hidden the Obama quilt so it won't get harmed. But I always know where it is. I'm dedicated to protecting it so nothing happens to it. Just know I'm on the job.

This is dedication!!!

Drop by my Pinterest page!!!

2012-04-15T11:22:00.001-04:00

If you haven’t yet seen a Pinterest page, come on over!

http://pinterest.com/caronmosey/

Lots more great quilt photos to see there!

Are you getting much quilting accomplished?

2012-04-13T11:36:00.002-04:00

There isn't a day that goes by that a handful or more of my friends on Facebook invite me to play an online game with them.

There are hundreds of blogs I would like to read. Some I do read. Others I skim. (Sorry)

I like to stay current with news of the quilting and non-quilting variety.

I enjoy watching videos: of quilting, from The Quilt Show, of cats and dogs and owls and such.

I've written two quilting books. I'd like to write more, as I love writing. But...

I'd like to finish the novel I started.

I love doing family genealogy and research.

I have penpals from around the world... Hi Annemart! Hi Tanya! Hi Wendy! Hi Julie! Hi Helen! Hi Pippa and Sara!

I love hanging out on Pinterest. I like pinning quilts. I like seeing pinned quilts.

I could go on and on about all the things I love about the computer, but I won't.

You see, I have other things I want to do that have a closer tie to quilting. You know quilting, right? Where you hold fabric in your hands, you have a needle and thread that goes in and out of the fabric? You've seen that before, right?

So I have decided that I need to TOUCH fabric more. I need to caress it more and do more things with it. Maybe you would like doing that, too. So I guess the best way to do that is to follow the directions in this picture. Let's try it and see if it helps. You can report back from time to time and let me know how it's going with you. Just don't use your computer to do that. LOL

Yes We Can, Jane quilt update number 15

2012-04-10T18:55:00.001-04:00

I spent yesterday morning at work (my day job) moving into a new office. It is one I will be sharing with three other people, and it meant downsizing for me, which is never easy. But I’m becoming comfortable in my new space, and anxious to see who will be sharing it with me.

Here are the most recently completed blocks in the Obama quilt:

	Monkey Wrench by Cindi Pucci
Challenge, Kathy Timmons
	Hawaii, Kathy Timmons
Meeting Place, Kathy Timmons
	Thousands of Diamonds by Sue Sweeten
Reflections Abound by Nancee Marchinowski

Suggestions for making a quilt with an online quilt group

2012-04-07T17:44:00.001-04:00

On Feb 8, 2009, the Yahoo group “Yes We Can, Jane” was started by a few quilters who wanted to make a quilt for the newest President of the United States, Barack Obama. We are now nearing the end of our project, as the quilt will be completed within a few months when the hand quilting and binding are finished. The project has been filled with a mixture of emotions, from elation, excitement, joy, friendship, creativity, frustration, competition, and yes, anger. There are probably some feelings I have left out, but all-in-all it has been a pleasurable undertaking.

I’ve been hand quilting for almost two days solid now, and as I let my fingers relax a little, I thought this might be a good time to provide you with a list of suggestions for any future online group endeavor, should you wish to create your OWN group quilt.

1. You will need, at a minimum, 2 moderators for the group. The moderators will serve as leaders and organizers, setting guidelines and deadlines. The moderators should be well-matched, as they will need to lean on each other for the duration of the project. They need not live in close proximity to each other; as ours was an online quilt group, we were connected by email, texts, etc.

2. Before you ever begin, set the timeline, rules and guidelines for the project. While the timelines may be somewhat flexible in scope, the rules and guidelines must be iron-clad.

3. A group quilt needs something to tie it together. In our project, we were able to provide each individual quilter with a piece of fabric from the same cloth (see photo below). Our ivory colored fabric was a donation from a generous individual; if you don’t have a donor, make sure you over estimate the amount of fabric you will need, and purchase accordingly.

4. Since each quilter will probably use his or her own fabric to go with the background fabric to make their block, it is CRITICAL that all of their fabric be prewashed and checked for color fastness. That should be RULE #1.

5. RULE #2 must state that upon mailing finished blocks to the “keeper of the blocks,” a 2.5 or 3 inch square of each of the fabrics used in the block be cut to the predetermined size and be mailed with the finished block. These fabrics will then be used by a member of the team to check for color fastness. This is done by making a small patchwork quilt, alternating the background fabric with every single fabric that has been included in the quilt. Once this small patchwork quilt has been sewn, it should then be tossed into a sink full of very hot water and left to soak for 30 minutes. It is then rinsed, dried, and examined for any dye runs. If any fabrics have not passed the color fastness test, any block with those fabrics should be eliminated without question or guilty feelings. If any quilter does NOT include the sample swatches, their block should also be eliminated without question.

6. Guidelines for quality control must be stipulated. Take time to think about what you want the finished quilt to look like. What color theme? What color style? Traditional? Contemporary? Modern? Civil War? Pastel?

7. Provide all quilters with the basics of applique and piecing. Discuss thread type. discuss size of stitching. NOTE: To eliminate this step is a major mistake, as every quilter on the planet has been taught different techniques or has been self-taught. It is wise to discuss the kind of thread to use. Thread used for hand quilting is NOT suitable for hand applique or for piecing.

8. Determine what jobs are needed for your project. Who will sew the top together when your blocks are completed? Who will receive the mailed blocks? How will the quilt be quilted? Who will quilt it? Do the members of the group need to make afinancial contribution to assist with the quilting or the purchase of the background fabric?

9. Make sure that each block arrives with the full name and address of the maker, their email address, and name of their block. NOTE: It is wise to stipulate that if any quilter does not wish his or her full name to be used in public, this is not a project they should participate in. It is too difficult to bend the rules for some and not for all, and it is hard to keep track of any variations.

10. Take a photo of each block as the envelopes are opened by the “keeper of the blocks.” Each photo should then be assigned a number, and the name of the quilter and the block should go with each photo.

Example:

#28 Caron Mosey, Auto Industry.

11. At all times, keep good communication with your group members. Let them know what is going on, share the progress, discuss any issues or struggles, and let everyone have input. Not everyone will agree 100 percent of the time. Be prepared for that! When your project is completed, have a celebration together. In some way, you all need to celebrate your victory.

A group project via an Internet quilting group is a fun activity that will bring quilters together from all walks of life and all parts of the globe. Enjoy the process!

If you have participated in or organized an Internet quilt project, please leave a comment below and share your thoughts and suggestions on the process! We’d love to hear from you!

Yes We Can, Jane quilt update number 14

2012-04-07T10:23:00.001-04:00

It’s allergy season in Michigan, much to my dismay. I spent the afternoon yesterday quilting and dealing with itchy eyes and drippy nose, but got a lot of stitching accomplished. More quilting will happen today, as nothing has changed regarding my allergy symptoms. But it does give me almost a full day of quilting, listening to podcasts, and watching HGTV.

	Pinwheel by Andrea Koziol
Jewel Star by Kathy Timmons
	Bachelor Buttons by Linda Boyle
Michelle’s Medley by Barbara De Nike
	Arizona Cactus Flower by Susan Mina
Star of Destiny by Jean Amundsen
	Doris' Dilemma by Kathy Timmons
Reflections Abound by Nancee Marchinowski
	Maze of Madness by Kathy Havelka
Church Windows by Barbara De Nike
	Doris' Dilemma Andrea Koziol

Yes We Can, Jane quilt update number 13

2012-04-02T18:53:00.002-04:00

I can’t believe I haven’t posted an update on the Obama quilt since March 4, but I haven’t. I’ve been busy on many things, and I have been quilting, just not daily on this quilt. Don’t you wish there were more hours in the day? We watched our newest grandson the past 4 days. It was my intention to quilt whenever he was taking a nap, however, he just turned 5 months old today, and is teething. Very few naps were taken by anyone while he was here, so very little quilting got done. And now, Grammy needs a nap!
Here is what has been accomplished on the blocks since May 4th. Additional hand quilting HAS taken place in the sashing as well, but that is boring to look at!

	Stephanie's Snowflake by Cheryl Camp
Dresden Plate by Linda Starkey
	Malle Star 1 by Liz Ewing
Malle Star 2 by Liz Ewing
	Star by Jean Amundsen
Honey Bee by Gayle McKay ”Thanks to the Obamas, we now have honey bees in the White House garden for the first time since FDR was in office.”
	Left and Right, Black and White by Gayle McKay

If you want to hand quilt, you can use a hoop like I do for most of my quilting now, or you can use a large frame. If you don’t have a frame, take a look at the great tutorial Sara has put on the Celebrate Hand Quilting blog. What a GREAT idea!

Karen Kay Buckley Workshop - May 31st

2012-04-02T08:55:00.001-04:00

The Evening Star Quilt Guild in Davison, Michigan will be featuring Karen Kay Buckley for a lecture/trunk show on Wednesday evening, May 30th and an all-day workshop on Thursday, May 31st. We have a few openings in this Basic Hand Appliqué workshop;

NOTE: You can also appliqué by machine if you prefer!

Visit Karen's website

for more details on this class

The cost for non-guild members is $60.00 + $13 for the pattern we will be following.

Payment is due when you sign-up (Sorry – We can't reserve spots without payment).

If you're interested, please contact Lisa Burmann, President, at

Lisa Burmann, Burmann Studios - Longarm Quilting Services

phone: 810-358-7294

Email: burmannstudios@yahoo.com

Is your group looking for workshop instructors?

2012-03-31T14:50:00.001-04:00

Under the header photo above you will see several tabs. If you click on the one that says Workshops, Lectures you will come to a list of possible classes. Let me know if you have questions or suggestions!

A few of my previous engagements:

National Quilting Association, Washington, D.C.
AQS, Paducah, KY
Houston Quilt Festival
Mackinac island Quilters Retreat
Flying Geese Quilt Show and Quilt Conference, Fort Worth, TX
Quilt Conference, Carlinville, IL
New Mexico Quilter’s Association, Albuquerque, NM
Hands All Around Quilt Guild of Central Illinois

I’d love to come visit your group!

Caron

Baby N' Grammy

2012-03-29T08:19:00.001-04:00

It's a Fischer and Grammy weekend...

four days of cozy snuggling and playing, and quilting during nap time.

What could be more fun?

Nothing I can think of...

Push Yourself to Learn Something New

2012-03-21T17:42:00.001-04:00

As quilters, we often get stuck doing the same things with the same fabrics and colors, using the same methods we have always used. We have our own preferences for colors, and can't possibly imagine creating a quilt out of THAT color! I'm amazed whenever I hear someone say, "I don't applique!!!" When I ask them why, they'll tell me something like, "Oh, I tried it once, and it was hard." We are afraid to step out of our comfort zone! It's scary! It makes our head hurt!

Performing brain surgery is hard, but somehow we have surgeons in the world who have put in the time and effort to master the skill. And that's what it's all about: putting in the time and effort. You know, the whole

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT thing.

But there's a flaw in that logic. It's not really Practice Makes Perfect. It's more

Practice makes permanent, but not necessarily perfect.

I'm going to dust off my Educational Specialist (Ed.S.) degree for a minute and give you a mini lesson in learning theory.

In 1967, two educators named Fitts and Posner wrote about their theory of three progressive phases in learning a new skill. Their three progressive phases suggested that the learning process is sequential and orderly, and that we move through these phases as we learn. Here are their three stages to learning a new skill in black font. Along with each stage, I have inserted a translation of the skill into language quilters understand (red font). Stick with me here… you’ll get this.

Cognitive phase - Identification and development of the component parts of the skill - involves formation of a mental picture of the skill. (Take the quilt class even if it scares you. Pay attention to the teacher, don't argue with his or her methods, just soak them up. Do what you're told and take good notes.)

Associative phase - Linking the component parts into a smooth action - involves practicing the skill and using feedback to perfect the skill. (Take the quilt project that you started in the class home with you. Do not stick it in the back of the closet! You have too many other things back there anyway! Finish the darn project exactly the way you were shown. Do not put it aside to work on another project. Do not let it become a UFO (UnFinished Object). Show it to your quilt friends or guild. Put it on your blog if you have one. Let people know you completed the project!

Autonomous phase - Developing the learned skill so that it becomes automatic - involves little or no conscious thought or attention while performing the skill. (Plan and begin your next quilting project using your newly learned skill. Yes, actually USE the new skill, understanding that practice makes permanent. The more time you spend on it, the easier it will become. Your goal here is to get to the point where you don't have to think about it anymore, it just comes naturally. Think about it... at one time in your life, you were potty trained. When was the last time you had to be reminded HOW to go to the bathroom?)

Ok now, what skill haven't you learned?

Crawl out of that deep rut you're in.

Push yourself to learn something new!

Take a class.

Get going…Go... NOW!

I had an itch I had to scratch

2012-03-14T18:00:00.001-04:00

Somebody asked me this week why I hadn’t posted any quilting updates. Here’s why.

I had to knit something. Anything. Just had to knit. I get chilly sometimes around the neck when we are out riding our motorcycle, so I’m knitting myself a cowl scarf. Simple, needs no counting, you just do it. Over and over. 33 stitches across in K, do it again in P, a million times over and eventually you’re done.

I didn’t fall off the face of the earth. Just had to scratch that itch and get it out of my system. I’m sure you understand.

I Love Scrappy Quilts

2012-03-08T20:06:00.001-05:00

I love scrappy quilts… any kind of scrappy quilt, and in any kind of color combination. However, this one is in MY colors…

Here’s a close up… it’s hand quilted, with a cotton batting.

Ocean Waves, below, is also a scrappy quilt… and hand quilted.

I’ve started a scrappy basket quilt, but haven’t touched it in a year or more. Maybe it’s time?

I need to think on that…

What scrappy quilts have you made?