Christmas Songs

My friend Denise, who lives in Hawaii, sent this video link. It’s just wonderful and the singer has a superb voice. I love the dual language version! Do you have a favorite Christmas song on YouTube? Would you post a link to it in the comments? I love listening to different languages and new interpretations and I hope you do too

Here’s one of my absolute favorites, Jose Feliciano, singing Feliz Navidad, but look at the comments on YouTube - you have to go to YouTube and see what people are posting!

Really Great Inspiration

I love reading Seth Godin and so of course I downloaded his (free!) new ebook as soon as I could. It’s called What Matters Now.

Since I am sharing things I love, this video really speaks to me. It is on TED and it is William Kamkwamba talking about how he Harnessed The Wind. I want to do what he has done.

Meanwhile, I am quilting away, writing and thinking of new projects I can create for Crazy Shortcut Quilters; helping a few friends with their blogs (do you need help? Just email me….) and of course, taking videos! I hope to have another ready for you soon. Meanwhile, I put one up about the adjustment of Pressure on the sewing machine Presser foot. What a tongue twister!!

Audio Books!

I am having such a surprisingly good time listening to books. I never thought that I would enjoy this and that’s why I’ve taken so long to try this just because I was sure that I wouldn’t like it. Ahhhh, I admit that I was wrong

My local library card lets me download a surprising number of excellent books and I’ve been listening to them while sewing and quilting. I either let them play on the computer speakers or I download them from the computer to a little tiny MP3 player that I had actually bought for another purpose.

After figuring out how to connect to the Library, then downloading the right software to be able to listen to books, and decoding the compu-speak that talked about security but really meant that Microsoft (as usual) wouldn’t let their update pass through my browser (Firefox) {Bleh!!!} I finally started listening to a book that I was desperate to “hear” after reading two others by the same author. I didn’t even want to wait the few days it would take to buy the book online.

After listening for a while, I realized that I couldn’t just sit there and listen (in front of the computer) so I dragged the exercise bike closer to the computer and actually worked out for a while!

Then I needed to leave for a while but didn’t want to give up my book! So I searched out my little MP3 player and connected it to the computer, dreading another “this software doesn’t work” battle but WHOOOHOOOO! Guess what! The computer said “…it looks like you want to transfer your audio files to your player…” and I shot out of my chair in surprise and happiness!

I have been walking around town, sewing, quilting and shoveling snow, all while listening to book after book! HEAVEN!

Sewing and Quilting Resources

Hi Quilters,

I received a comment by Cindy of Sew Happy Designs and Nettie and I had to share my reply with you because of how excited I am about it all.

You know that I have just fallen head over heals in love with video (yes, I am a terrible show off!) and being stuck in the sticks of Alaska is part of the reason why. I just don’t get to teach enough; I don’t get out much, hehehehe

So, Cindy and Nettie asked about teaching sewing and video resources. Well, recently I have found myself collecting old sewing machines. I put them on the kitchen table and say lovey-dovey things to them while cleaning them and imagining who owned them before and picturing the garments and projects these wonderful old machines have sewn.

Then one day I had a brainstorm! But first, a confession. This is not my only blog/website/posting place. I post stuff at Squidoo, Instructables, YouTube and on another couple of sites called Quilt News and Quilting Videos. Each of these places is *very* different from the other and each has it’s own “internet flavor”. I love them all!

So, the brainstorm was this: how can I get other people to love these old sewing machines like I do? And get them to understand how valuable they are for learning to sew? I thought about it a lot, and then started writing. I knew that a lot of quilters read my blog and many of us love these old machines, so I didn’t think what I had to say was really noteworthy to you, as a post on my blog. I wanted to post it where it was really useful information, not just “what I’m doing today” so I went with Instructables. With 14,940 hits in just two weeks I can say that I definitely caught some attention. YAY!!

While I was writing and researching my piece for Instructables, I found Pam Cortese and her videos on YouTube – which are the most valuable ones I’ve ever found! I just love them! They were in a jumble all over YouTube and so I put them in order and put each series she made on its own page: a series of 5 videos about how sewing machines work and what all the controls mean and another series about how to clean and maintain them. I also have a page there about tips I’ve learned about making videos.

I am sort of on the beginning of a quest. I’ve been working on a project all summer and I’ve been thinking so much about how we all help each other and how rewarding it feels to do that. I want to do more about teaching young people who have never had the chance to learn to sew – - teaching them how to use a machine and get started. If you have ideas to share, resources, anything at all that you think would help in that goal I would sure love to hear it.

Cindy also asked about CASA, the program that Sarah and I support with our quilting. We have our favorite charities, and charity:water gets my money (as does the United Way & Salvation Army) and CASA gets my quilts. Cindy works with CASA in her state!! I just love making a connection with a quilter because with each and every one there is a feeling of “this is meant to be”. I just love it!

More Crazy Shortcut Quilts!

Whoooo Hooo! I just added several photos to the Quilt Gallery and they are awesome looking quilts! Thanks to Amy, Pat, Irma and especially Joanna, who has been helping me with a project I am working on…..stay tuned!!

Smiles

Our Art Quilt Project

Hehehehe.  A baby and a bucket of fabric scraps.  I’ll be picking them up for the next month!  What was I thinking!?

Well, let’s just say I was rushing things a bit.  The technique worked well but the materials I chose didn’t (not their fault, mine) and the child doesn’t quite have the attention span yet for a project this size.  I’ll try again, but smaller next time 

We played outside for a while but after I took her home we both came down with colds    Oh well.  We are on the mend!  As I was leaving Audrey at home with her parents I was cooerced into taking one of Sarah’s quilts.  I have no idea why she wants ME to quilt this – she’s quilted several in the past few months and done just fine.  Another “oh, well”.

I hope to quilt this (and a few more) and make videos as I quilt them.  I love machine quilting art quilts (maybe that’s why she gave it to me to quilt?) and I now have the space to both quilt and take video, so these few that are waiting will be the test.

The red flowers are texured heavily, they are a product of Bella Nonna and Sarah just loves them. She has made several of their quilts. In fact, if you like it I think you should stop by Sarah’s Blog and tell her to make a video of her making one! Doesn’t that sound like fun?!?

Audrey’s Corner

I just finished carrying what I hope is the last bit of extra special quilting necessities (translates to years of accumulated quilting stuff) upstairs to the new studio.

Audrey is coming this weekend and her corner of the studio is all ready for her.  The high shelves (put up last night) hold most of my sorted scraps (there’s a huge bucket of unsorted too) and the grey metal shelves hold books and magazines I use in teaching.  Plus Audrey’s stuff.

The piece of board with the huge clips has a bit of batting and white fabric that Audrey is coloring and sticking bits of fabric to.  I bought a new product this week and I hope to try it out with her this weekend.  We are going to try our hands at art quilting!  I’ll try and turn the video camera on but no guarantees – she likes to get behind it   {Grandma thinks she’s a future producer!!  Yay!}  LOL

Check back Tuesday for the recap and please have a safe Memorial Day Weekend.

What a Great Day!

Tom and I drove to Homer today (and back) about a 340 mile trip, to get things for the boat.  Fishing season is almost here and he has been working on the boat daily.  On the way there I saw the most beautiful drake in a pond, several moose, many eagles, a few run down cabins I’ve never seen before (we are between snow and leaves, where you can see far into the woods alongside the road).  In Homer we cruised the boatyard (always fun!) and found Chris Perry, skipper of the F/V Lucky Star, a 42′ Ledford that is amost a mirror image of Tom’s F/V Dolly B.  We chatted with Chris for a while.  He was in the boatyard mending his seine.

Then it was off to Katchemak Gear Shed where we spend about 2 1/2 hours rounding up the things he needed.  We had an excellent helper from the shop at every step or else it would have taken 7 hours!

On the way back I saw 3 moose together, which I’ve never seen before (lived here 31 years!) AND a black bear – - all along the side of the road!  Okay, here’s where I apologize but Tom was driving 55-60, with traffic going both directions on the narrow two lane highway.  There was no way I could get pics of *any* of it           I sure wish I could have.  The Kittiwakes are back and the Canadian Geese, but I haven’t seen a swan yet.  There’s been a bad fire in the Homer area and as we were leaving Homer, it poured rain.  Hallelujah!

We talked about our bucket lists and both figured that we each have 1 goal and then 1 desire, and they are not all that dissimilar.  Mine is to get a novel (or three) published and his is to build up his retirement fund, which took a few unexpected hits.  After that we both agree that we want to travel.  A lot.  S l o w l y 

Did you have a great day today too?  And what’s on your bucket list?  We both agree that we have no “mountains to climb” but he wouldn’t stop asking me if I’d like to ride a bike across the country.  How many times do I have to say NO WAY!  LOL 

What’s New?

I am writing again!! Ohhhh, I almost forgot how much I love it! 8 pages into a little project and I am on cloud nine

What are you up to? I am going blog surfing to find out but you can tell me here too if you want!

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