Amy

I've been chatting with Amy, who has been making her first Crazy Shortcut Quilt. She had a bit of a problem with the sashing and we've been emailing back and forth about that and the fact that her husband made her a quilting table, just like mine but hers is *PINK*! Hop on over to Amy's blog and check out her quilts, table and her success! Hurray Amy!

Best Cutting Video Ever

Debbie Caffrey, from her book Power Cutting. Even if you've been cutting strips for years, watch this video, it's really, really cool.

Updated demo video

I updated the video that shows the Crazy Shortcut Quilts demo. I finally got Sarah to film some footage (talk about pulling teeth!) and so I re-did the whole thing.

Originally, all the videos were supposed to be "just for fun" and I had planned on taking a few comments and then re-doing them. Well, 5,000 views later (on some of them!!) I am just getting there. I had no idea that YouTube was so popular!

So, if you want to see Sarah in action, go take a look at the newly uploaded demo and if you look carefully, you can see that I also uploaded an "out takes" video too. We do have some laughs while we are making the vids.

Do you have vids? Or favorites on YouTube? I'd love to see them! Post a comment and share ....

Funky Fuzzy Shortcut Quilt

I took a video of me doing the stitching - - couching down the yarn:

StyleList Interview!

We made it to the big time! Writer Mallory Whitfield wrote about our book, webs and Etsy shop for StyleList Magazine Blog. When I first found this site I spent hours there!

Here's our interview...

Great Homemade Table

I was browsing the creations at Instructables and I found this great table. If you have space in your sewing room for a free standing table (or even if it were pushed into a corner) this looks like a wonderful table for cutting and (with a pressing mat) maybe even pressing yardage. I want one!

Best of all, all the instructions for building it are right on the site! If you have not visited Instructables yet click on over and get inspired and if you have a woodworker or carpenter in your house, send the link to this table and get busy making room for it!

Fabric Withdrawal

How long can you go without sewing or quilting? I have not sewn or quilted since mid October! I was starting to think that I was cured. Then it hit. Two days of not sleeping well, feeling out of sorts and then *fabric attack*! It's worse than an allergy attack :)

I want to touch it, wash it, iron it, spray it with starch and cut it and then mix it all up and sew it! So, tell me, how long can you go? The Stashbusters Group on Yahoo! has a saying, "find 15 minutes to sew each day". Do I listen? No, I let it build up like swollen river at a dam! Okay, gotta go, projects and UFO's are calling!

My Blogging Evolution

I never thought I'd like blogging, but I am more of a writer and show off than I had imagined. I have about 20 blogs started, plus a few lenses at Squidoo, and it feels messy. I love Google and Blogspot has been very good for me in terms of learning how to blog and making me curious about other blogging platforms, and CSS and now PHP. More than I planned on learning but I am enjoying it!

I've learned that not all blogging platforms are the same, a lot of features are more rich on Wordpress, although Blogspot holds the key to blogrolling! What it all means is that I have found that Squidoo is good for having something to say that doesn't change (how-to), Blogspot is great for continual updates along one tangent (lifeblog, workblog, eventblog) and Wordpress is good for both. So, I've been learning Wordpress and been slowly migrating in that direction.

The thing is, my blogging is changing too. Direction and style.

I am learning about video blogging; I've written a novel and a half; I want to make the art quilts I've been sketching for ten years; I want a blog where I can write about it all - with video updates, downloadable tips/patterns, static page tutorials as well as updates on life in general.

I spend (waste?) a LOT of time on the internet and find cool (exciting, "hot" whatever your word is) stuff and I want to post about that too - -and the super neat people that I find on the net.

So, my blogging is going to change and it's not all going to be quilting. It may or may not be interesting to you so I am not going to force a re-direct. It's your choice if you want to see what I am up to.

I call it Marguerita's Mess - - welcome to my world.

PS. I used to write my opinions on a separate blog - now they are all integrated on one, so you get the nice with the naughty. Fair warning :)

Easiest Ever Half Square Triangles

My friend Trish Stuart has a new video and I've never seen this technique before! Take a look and let me know what you think or comment to the video on YouTube or go to Trish's website and let her know :) And be sure to pop in on her new blog! She's just getting started so wish her well!

Staying in Touch with Yahoo! and Webcams

My granddaughter and I are trying out some new technology. Sometimes we just have to see each other but we can't always drive the 125 miles through Alaskan wilderness to be face to face. Actually, she can't drive anywhere since she's just 2 years old. So, we bought webcams.

They aren't great and the lag time takes getting used to, but when she blows me a kiss she can see that she gets one back right away.

This might be a good way to stay in touch if you can't make the trip to see your family as often as you want. Email me if you want the details, but the basics are 2 cheap webcams with built in microphones, Yahoo! instant messenger and patience.

Snowboard Kiting

I had no idea.......... I was driving my granddaughter Audrey to Girdwood (from Seward) to meet up with my daughter Sarah and send the baby home (she'd been with me since Friday afternoon). As we drive through Portage, a desolate windy no-mans-land known for accidents because of the windblown icy highway, what do we see but SAILS! Sails! People (and by people I mean young male humans) were using sails to ski and snowboard!

I see it all, living in Alaska.

Here you can too because after I took baby Audrey to daughter Sarah, I headed home, pulled over in Portage and stood out in the godawful wind and cold to tape video on my little baby camera.

It's times like this that I love living here. Great weekend with Audrey and a fascinating surprise on the windy, snowy horizon.

Death Valley and Los Algodones, Mexico

Death Valley was awesome! It was a trip Tom and I have talked about and finally just said "let's just go!" Wow! He was a braver soul than I and he did a bit of hiking. I could barely move in the heat. In the photo with people, we are at the lowest point, about 283 ft below sea level. For a guy who spends a lot of time on the sea, Tom was quite amazed. You can't see it in the photo, but there is a green street sign about halfway up the hillside that says "Sea Level". We were quite impressed.










Here I am at TLC Dental in Los Algodones, Mexico, where I walked across the border and stayed for 2 nights in the attached B&B style home. It was secure, clean, and completely professional and I am thrilled to be healthy and whole again! The temperature in mid November was mid 80's and I was totally miserable from both the heat and air conditioning and the hurried nature of the trip. I'd love to go back and spend weeks when the temperatures drop to 70's or so :)

Freemont Street and BainBridge Island and Seattle

Freemont Street in Las Vegas


to Seattle and Bainbridge Island - -what a trip!

I am Thankful that I have made it to 50 and have helped a few people along the way

I'd like to help more and I am going to make that a focus for 2009. I had a great time at the CASA auction, best of all was seeing a quilt leave my pile and go to a good home!

I've been traveling, reading and contemplating and I left my camera with my daughter Sarah, so no photos yet. I desperately needed some (a lot) of dental work and my need coincided with a trip that Tom had already planned and paid for, so when my passport arrived *in less than 14 days* after applying, I made arrangements to leave him for a portion of the trip and go to Mexico for dental work. The climate change from Seward, Alaska to Los Algodones, Mexico was a shocker even for me, and I do a bit of traveling. The dentists there made my pain & infections disappear and I am profoundly grateful for the opportunity to heal.

We stopped in Seattle and I visited a quilter and fellow author at Krause Publications, Maggie Ball. What an awesome woman and her efforts in Mongolia just tugged my heart. At home the snow was falling and it is looking wintery, which is just so different after spending 5 days in the southern desert. I am beginning to think that the Arizona snowbirds have the right idea :)

I am continuing to think of new videos that I want to make and post to YouTube, and it looks like one of them has gone viral - -the number of views skyrockets every day. It's my "How to make a cheap quilting table" video. I need to fix this video! I threw it up on YouTube for a few friends to watch and give me feedback on and then people started finding it! Yikes! It is so raw and not well presented.....oh well, I will learn and do better as I go :)

I hope that this finds you well, healthy, happy and whole and I wish you the best of the day.

Quilting for a Very Good Cause

My daughter Sarah and I love to donate quilts to the CASA program for their Quilt Auction each November. We also use the auction to see and visit with quilters that we only see once a year - -at the auction! I look forward to seeing my pals Kathy Harte and Judy Wedemeyer and Ruth (who bought one of my quilts last year - -thanks Ruth!!).

This year my offerings are meager compared to last year, and I am not too happy about that. I am donating the quilt you see here, made with RJR Fabrics (donated by them and Thank You Very Much RJR!), featured in our book Crazy Shortcut Quilts, called Sweet Sixteen. It is 60" x 60" and very pretty, with bright colors.

I'll also be donating a book called Fat Quarter Quilting and package of RJR Thimbleberries fat quarters and some batting too - -(almost) everything you need to make a quilt!

The Quilt Auction is on November 22 from 11am-2pm in downtown Anchorage at the Phillips/Arco building at 7th & G. I would love to see you there and I can't wait to watch the bidding on all of the gorgeous quilts :)

Sharing Expertise on Squidoo.com

I love to share info and trade tricks and tips with sewers and quilters, so when Seth Godin posted on his blog about Squidoo and described its function, I went a built a few lens's. Here's one of my lenses (that's what they call the pages at Squidoo) on how I built my cheap quilting table and I recently inserted my new You Tube videos there too, for a really good tutorial.

A couple of things attracted me to Squidoo. First, it's a static page, not like a blog where after a while posts are archived. This lens is always up, front and center, for anyone to see. Second, it generates money for charity. The folks at Squidoo put ads on pages, relevant to the page content, and the lens writer can choose to get a cut of the money or donate their share to charity. Mine goes to charity and it says so right on the page.

I believe that millions of people have valuable experience or talents and that many of us like to share information and help others. If you have a subject near and dear to your heart but don't want to start a blog just to get the word out, try Squidoo and see if you like how it looks and works, and if you need some help building your lens just email me and I'd be happy to lend a hand.

Also, Seth's blog is one of very few that I consider a daily "must read".

Oh Beautiful America!!

My Heart Sings!

Tundra Swans and Cygnets

I love learning new things and that's one reason that I subscribe to the Alaska Science Forum Newsletter . Today's newsletter was about Tundra Swans and it included this photo by Ned Rozell, who often writes the newsletter and supplies the photos. I learn something new with every edition, and am never bored. Aren't these babies the cutest? Almost as cute as baby bunnies :)

Videooooooooooooo

I have been having both fun and absolute total frustration - what a combo! And what can cause that? Either quilting a perfect seam and then finding a pucker on the back (oh, yes that has happened to me many times) or a computer. Heh. So, I bought a video camera that I needed to learn to use, didn't understand how to use the editing software; had a major computer crash while simultaneously uploading and downloading videos...well, you get the idea.

I have created an account at You Tube (my pal Trish has some vids there!) and so does Pat Sloan - -whom I greatly admire. http://www.youtube.com/user/CrazyShortcutQuilts and I've started uploading some things that I like to teach. I'll be adding more in the next few weeks and any comments or advice is very welcome! This is all very new to me so I am learning as I go, but overall I am having fun! Oh, and the "Bobbin" video has some squares that I am going to start quilting - in the hopes of making a quilted vest or jacket. I saw some sweet patterns at Market that motivated me even more to "get the lead out" and get to work on this project!

Here's a very short clip of my little pumpkin, Audrey (my granddaughter).

Quilt Market Houston 2008

We're back!! It was one of the best times I've ever had at Quilt Market!
My daughter, Sarah Raffuse, made a great presentation at our Schoolhouse Session (late in the afternoon, so we offered chocolate at the door :) and our Take & Teach Class was SOLD OUT before Market even opened (wow!). Here are some pics from the Take & Teach, with some of the participants and their little quilt projects:












We had a great crowd at the book signing in the Krause booth and got to catch up news with some quilters who helped us out a LOT in Houston for the 2007 Quilt Market - -one of them had made five quilts (using our methods) since she got her book last year!!

Houston was warm and sunny (80 degrees didn't feel like a "fall" market to me!) and Market was a crowded and happy affair and it looked to me like there was a lot of commerce being conducted between the vendors and the buyers. I'll be posting about some of the patterns & vendors that caught my eye over on Quilt News.

Oh, and a double special bonus: I was able to meet up with my old pal Trish Stuart (I used to quilt for her and worked in her booth at several Quilt Markets) AND a quilt that she painted and I quilted was in the booth for Tsukineko Inks. That's Trish in pink on the left, our quilt under our arms and me in the blue on the right. Look at those huge smiles :)

Gone to Quilt Market

A few updates without pictures. It's been rainy and windy here, the snow is gone and now most of the leaves are off the trees. The bear has moved on and the bunnies are back. I managed to get all the kits cut for our Take & Teach class and quilted up 250 teeny tiny little quilties (4" x 4" squares) and sashed them using the technique in our book. These are our "promo" items that we give out at Schoolhouse and yes, it takes some work, but it's really, really worth it to see the looks on the faces of the quilters (shop owners & teachers) who receive them :)

Houston is a great town to visit and we always try and get around to the Museums, the Galleria and my personal favorite - Target (I'm a low budget girl!). I did buy some lipstick at a Galleria shop last year - that was exciting! LOL. This year we are going to stay downtown, something we've never done before, so I am looking forward to walking around in the area that the hotel is in.

I'm also looking forward to meeting up with my old pal Trish Stuart. I used to quilt for her and our brainstorming sessions are something I miss. I spent a few Markets working with Trish in her booth and it was a blast! I bought a video camera (!!) because I've been saving my pennies... I hope to shoot some quilty footage while at Market. Stay tuned! (oh, I forgot, but yes...I did fold and put the laundry away!)

Getting ready for Quilt Market

This is what happens when I am working on quilts.....hehehehe....and I'm not even apologetic about it! Every load of washing (at least I'm washing the dirty clothes!) gets brought up to the living room and then left there. That's why I have about 7 laundry baskets...this is a lifelong habit and it makes me laugh. When I am done with my current quilt project (or I run out of baskets) then I'll start putting clothes away. Until then.....need clean socks? Go to living room and search baskets........ LOL

Here's some of my squares from this project....

Quilt Art

Check out these gorgeous quilts by Diana Bracy! Her blog or Her Flickr.....

Snow for Martha

Compare this one to my photo of Mt. Marathon from the 4th of July! This is for Martha in Louisiana :) This next one is of the trees across the alley, just outside the garage door. My bunny friends hang out there, but right now there's a black bear living there (no kidding!). Bear has been getting into the garbage cans at night. Don't worry about bunny, she's tough and she's faster than this black bear. I saw her last night & she's fine. My portable quilting table is set up by a living room window that looks out over the alley and the trees next door. I'm going to try and get a pic of bear.

The sky is falling

In thick white chunks! LOL Look at this poor Sitka Rose, still blooming in this early snowfall. Actually, this isn't our first snow, it snowed yesterday but didn't stick. Looks like it's going to stay today...