Challenge Quilt Explained Day # 11/365

I finally finished the Challenge Quilt!! Can anyone say "Blood Sweat and Tears?"

Here is a run down of the rules and how I interpreted them

1. The 2009 Quilt Challenge is "Tropical Dreams" Your kit is $5 and includes a fat quarter of fabric, 3 paint chips and the rules.

Of course now I can't find the rest of the fat quarter...errrrrr..it's gotta be here somewhere. Well maybe I can get a pic of it in a block I didn't use. Ok yeah...it's the blue/green/wavy stuff next to the yellow in those blocks....

2. The design criteria for entry acceptance:

• Technique(s) used in the construction of the quilt is your choice. Examples: hand or fusible applique, hand or machine pieced, foundation pieced,etc. The quilt must be hand or machine quilted by YOU> (Check...everything was done by me tyvm)
• Visually present at least a 2"x2" piece of the fat quarter. You may use as much of this fabric as desired and additional fat quarters may be purchased (Check...got it in several of the ocean blocks)
• Contain at least one color from each paint chip. 1 fabric for each paint chip (Check...the coral/pinks was the hardest but Jack and I figured it out together)
• Contain at least on traditional black of your choosing. Examples :Log Cabin, Nine Patch, Snails Trail (Check...they're wonky but I have four patches in the corners)
• Contain at least one tropical plant: Example: Palm Tree, Orchid, Hibiscus (Check...I used scrapbook stickers as my basis for these and embroidered some for good measure)
• Contain at least one tropical animal, fish or sea shell. Example : Toucans, Parrots, Tigers (Check...I have sea shells, fish a monkey and a lizard.)
• Maker must apply at least three forms of embellishments. Examples: buttons, coins,beads, etc. (Check, check and double CHECK LOL!)
• Quilt finished size: minimum 30" x30" and maximum 60" x 60" (Check.... mine is 39" x 39")
• A quilt label must be stitched or securely attached to the back lower edge (Check...gotter done)
  

Then blah blah blah other stuff...check check check...I did it! I did a challenge quilt! I take it to Ruth's Stitchery tomorrow and it will hang in the quilt sshow this weekend...then we vote on the top 8 at the next guild meeting, Oct 21, 2009...Those may go to National to compete against a multitude of Tropical Dreams.

Go ILLINI! Day #10/365

In about a month the 2009-2010 Illinois men's basketball season kicks off...WOOOOOOOOOOO!! I can't wait. There's nothing like screaming at the TV over a good BB game lol!

I would like to take this opportunity to educate my BFF Leslie...Repeat after me..." ILL-EYE'-NIGH"
Say it again..."ILL-EYE'-NIGH" The crowd at the Assembly Hall in Champaign-Urbana take turns shouting I-L-L....answered by...I-N-I....it ryhmes with that. Now the next time you say "Ill-eeen-knee" I will turn you over my knee and spank you (don't think I can? uh huh...keep on keeping on)

That's me in my mom's Illinois football XXX giant t-shirt she insisted on wearing right up to the end...I miss you mom...GO ILLINI!

It was an Ice Stormy Day #9/365

Wowsers...woke up to a mess...heard last night there were a ton of wrecks due to the weather then THIS?!? I think I'll stay my happy self home today again.

Good news is I did three new youtubes (Link over there>>>). Bad news is I am going STIR CRAZY!!!!!

Forgotten Pictures Day # 8/365

I was looking for a certain picture I wanted to share with an internet friend in Africa who happens to know someone in Kankakee, IL and I found some pics of the baby quilt I made for Sadie Jane that I don't think I shared. So here they both are. I am using the train station pic as my 365. It might technically be cheating but hey...it's better than nothing!

I am getting really really close to finishing the challenge quilt. It would help if Jack would share the TV so I could sew and concentrate. *Storms off to wrestle the controller away*

PS if you click on the pics they will enlarge for details.

Day # 7/365 Me and my Guitar

If I'm not knitting, sewing, studying, reading or cooking I am usually right here in front of the computer with my guitar.

Today started off quite frosty...snow and fog till noonish then it cleared and became partly sunny and we had to roll the windows down on our trip about town.

Leslie brought me a huge bag of GORGEOUS fabrics. I can't wait till I get them sorted and am able to sew up a sage green and ecru crazy quilt followed by a purple, reddish, gold, yummy regal one!

Solving the Tropical Flower Dilemma

I asked for help on embellishments for this challenge quilt but I couldn't afford the recommended book and the coloring book option didn't help either so I cheated. Yeah you heard me I CHEATED!!!! I got two packs of scrapbook stickers at WalMart and Hobby Lobby and used them for the basis of some blocks then I made up my own flowers from the recess of my (slightly psychotic) mind. I still have to add the beads and ribbons. I found out on the ocean part that I still have a tendency to put beads too close to the edge

The blue picture is the ocean center for the quilt. It totally isn't what it started out to be but I'm thinking it could turn out pretty spectacular. I have until the 14th to get it all done.

Day #6 picture Becky Loves Jack

Oh...and welcome to my new layout...didn't mean to confuse you all but I wanted a change!

The Warhol Session Day #5

If you can't have fun on your computer ...well let's just say I never have that problem!

Working hard on my challenge quilt. Pictures of it tomorrow.

Weather changing. Warm today but crap tomorrow. I probably should have gone out more today but I didn't.

Becky and the Big-Wheeled Bike day #4

Wow...it's amazing how photo ops will present themselves when you need them. Behold the Big-wheeled bike that parked next to us at King Soopers today. I almost rejected this picture but in the end I went with it. The good, the bad, the ugly... I shall present them all lol!

Jack is making zucchini-pumpkini bread. My friend, Vera, brought over some shredded pumpkini, a hybrid cross of pumpkins and zucchini from another friend's garden. It smells heavenly so let the weird science experiment begin. I ain't afraid to eat new stuff, are you?

Day 3: She of 1000 Beads

I took all my necklaces off their hooks looking for a certain one...before putting them back I decided to do a webcam shot of me wearing all of them. Right about now my neck feels like it could break from the sheer weight of 1000s of beads. Excuse me while I go unload....

Day 2 (so far so good)

Well I spent the day thinking about my picture. Pretty artsy-fartsy, eh?

I also spent a huge hunk of time working on my challenge quilt for quilt guild. It started out as a pictorial thingy but I couldn't pull it off so it morphed into something more my style. We were up in the mountains yesterday so we had to shop today and I found almost everything I needed at the 8th St Wal-Mart. (hint...MONKEY!!!) I'm still looking for the dreaded pinks-corals paint chip fabric. Gonna try a few places tomorrow. It's for the border so I can procrastinate a few more days on it.

Tomorrow I clean house (yuk) and maybe re-arrange the living room. Knit knit knit, sew sew sew....hopefully a little time for guitar too.

I'm Back and I have a new Plan

I've been looking at some other blogs n stuff and I have decided I want to challenge myself to post (almost) everyday and do one of those 365 pictures thingys. Mine will be the self portrait thing...for good or for bad.

Whoa do I really mean that? I mean what if I get up late and feel bad and my hair is all funky and my pants don't fit right because I ate too much salt? Wow a lot of things could go wrong with this!

The good part could be that I could use this as a way to promote my knitting and my music and my crazy quilts even.

Day #1...me knitting on a mountain up Rampart Range Road

Steampunk Ring Giveaway

www.CatherinetteRings.Etsy.com

One of my favorite sellers on etsy.com is hosting a Steampunk Ring giveaway. Head on over to their blog http://steampunkrings.blogspot.com/ for details. If you win you can send the ring to me lol!

Living with an Alcoholic and Smuggling Sweetcorn

Jack's nephew, Kyle, has been here since July 5 or so. He's a raging alcoholic and the family back home had hoped we could help him. We couldn't. He doesn't want help. Tonight I had it out with him because he wanted his last $100 to go party on. Hey, I can't pay my bills and you want to go party AGAIN?!? What's wrong with this picture? I have watched him piss away $1600 in five weeks. It's not fair and I'm about to blow up. Of course Grandma is coming to rescue him Friday so I guess I should just be relieved, but truthfully I am hot, hot, HOT under the collar about the whole thing. He was in the backyard being belligerent on the phone to his pregnant girlfriend, Emmy, at the top of his lungs at midnight last night. He slept all day while Jack and I did yard work until he got up and went swimming. Then he came home and took a shower...uh don't they have showers at the damn swimming pool? No, no that's OK, keep running our bills up...it's what you do best....ARGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

On a lighter note, you know you're from Illinois when you put sweetcorn in your checked luggage on the flight home.

Ugh...I'd rather POKE needles in my EYES!

My computer decided to take a dump on me. Please excuse my absence until I can get back.

Quick update...Jack's nephew Kyle is staying with us. Dakota is at Mommy Kim's until the end of the month. I am going to Illinois again with Cheryl Aug 6-11.

Carry on.

Picking My Knitting Back Up

How can it be Thursday again already? I mean seriously, my last post was a week ago?!?

I have been dealing with this mess on my desk, that much I know. See that cell phone? I had to wait for Fed Ex to deliver it then I had to spend an hour on the website trying to activate it. When that didn't work I spent a half hour on the phone with customer service only to learn they need to send me a new SIM card and then I have to call back and recite a zillion billion numbers to get my case opened back up. Oy Vey! Maybe I should keep my piece o crap phone with the Elvis charm dangling off it. There's no room for Elvis on the new phone :(

My time has also been filled with knitting. I knew the bug would hit me again sooner or later. I finished the two pink/brown tams and I have been working on a doofy hat for Tony/Beef,
a blue cotton sweater for me, and a brown vest for Pam. I made a baby hat too but I'm too lazy to go take a pic. It needs a flower embellishment first anyway.

I also got the blocks for Shane and Jessica's wedding pillow sewed. I was going to do a wall quilt but I thought "Hey a pillow would be cool too. Maybe even cooler" I called my sister and told her and she said "Cool!" so that settled it. I hope to start embroidering those today.