Here’s a quote but I don’t know who made it:

“Never ever waste your precious time, (1) being envious or jealous of anyone else or (2) worrying about what other people think of you because they are most likely thinking about what you think of them!”

Regarding #2, I read that part of the quote many years ago as a young girl and it changed my life from worrying what other people thought of me.  However, every now and then I wonder.

I’ve been thinking about all the wonderfully skilled quilters I admire.  I know that if we all worked as hard as they did perfecting their skills, we would be as skilled as they are.  We get to decide how much effort we put into learning and practicing.  Just the journey of working on our quilts is the best part of it all, in my opinion, so let’s just enjoy it….unsewing and all.

 

“Life doesn’t happen TO us,

It happens FROM us.”

Michael Wickett

You get to decide if your life is a bowl of cherries or just the pits.    The Cherries are the times we get to applique, quilt, or do anything we love.  The pits are when we need to be doing mundane things we’d rather not do.  However, cherries might not be as good if they didn’t have pits.

I have another blog about thinking about this and that. Do give it a try. You can see it at:

http://ivebeenthinking-thinker.blogspot.com/

I promise to make them short and sweet from now on and I need some followers. Florine

It’s been too long since my last blog but things have been happening lately. I’ve been working on the newest Radical Rooster. His name is Robert and he’s a bit different. I will keep you informed as to when he is ready to come out of the coop. I expect to have everything done and on the market before the end of the year.

This is a learning time of life for me. Unfortunately, I’m way behind on tecky stuff. Learning Quicken, wrangling my ‘to do’ lists, making decisions on what I should be doing and hiring out the rest. It’s amazing how a few hours of work a week from a P.A. is helping. She likes to cut fabrics and I don’t!

At this age, I don’t have time to “play” and learn how to work with a lot of programs and machines, so I’m getting help whenever and wherever I can. I have an iPod Nano to learn, just today received an iPad as a gift (more learning…how do you turn it on?) Then there’s a new computer with Windows 7 (I’ve been using XP for years,) transferring everything from an old, old computer to the new, including bookkeeping. Help!

Also, I have another blog. http://Ivebeenthinking-thinker.blogspot.com If you’d like to know what I’ve been learning about, check it out. It’s not fancy, but I hope to pass along things I’ve learned from books and life. It’s now on my ‘to-do’ list weekly. Can I keep it up? Who knows. At least I’ll try.

I will be contacting the people who signed up on this blog to see which pattern they have and want the “Pieces” for.

This may take a couple of days, but I’ll be sending out emails to you.   Look over your patterns and decide which one you’d like so I can get it in the mail to you.

Thanks for signing up.

Florine

I’m trying to catch up with myself and my quilting work. There’s a Hawaiian quilt 105″x105″ that I appliqued for another quilter in exchange for her hand quilting on one of my quilts. I had never worked on such a huge quilt before and it was quite a job to applique it. When it was finished, I requested that she give me “first right of refusal” if she ever wanted to sell it.

Later, after starting the hand quilting on it, she decided she would never finish it. So I purchased it from her.

Now I had a beautiful basted quilt with some hand quilting in the center. Being busy, I put the quilt away for at least 3 or more years. Each time I saw that quilt, the problem of taking out those hand quilting stitches grew larger in my mind until it became a huge problem. A problem I tried to hide from.

The other day a quilter from another state came over and I hauled out the Hawaiian to show her. When she left, I carefully unfolded it again and discovered that there really wasn’t that much stitching to take out. The stitches were tiny and exquisitely done, but they had only been around one small section of the quilt.

I kept that quilt out last evening and, during a couple of hours of TV watching, I jumped up and took out some stitches on each commercial. Guess what! I was finished in no time.

Guess I’ve learned not to let things go too long and become too large a problem in my mind.

How would you like to have help with your fusible pieces of the Radical Roosters? Help is here! I’ve been working on doing what I call “Pieces” for my roosters. Pieces are drawn and individually numbered for each rooster with appropriate seam allowances drawn in. The pieces have dotted lines where the piece normally is drawn so you will see  seam allowances where they have been added. And, of course they are in reverse. All you have to do is trace them onto the paper side of your fusible and proceed from there.

The seam allowances are there so you can “hook them together” without overlapping any of the pieces. Overlapping can sometimes distort the design. This works especially well on an applique pressing sheet because you can peel the entire design off when assembled and then slap it anywhere. Press (following fusible manufacturers instructions) and there you go!

So far, I have the advanced versions of 101 Ralph, 102 Raj, 103 Rob Roy, 104 Rupert, 105 Rowdy, 106 Rascal, 108 Reginald and 112 Hilda.

With these pieces you can all do the advanced versions! It’s what I teach in my classes and have beginners producing wonderfully colorful roosters by early afternoon. Yea!

If you would like to win a copy of your favorite rooster’s Pieces, please register and I’ll send out your favorite if you are one of the first 15. Then send me an email telling me which one you would like. After the first 15, each set per rooster will be $1.00. Watch for them on the web site.

I’m posting entries from our former blog first … new entries to follow.

Wednesday, July 2nd, 2008

Hi, this is my first blog. I’m learning as I go. I won’t be doing this every day, but will try to do it as often as I can or have something to say. Florine

New pattern

Monday, July 7th, 2008

I have a new pattern titled “Sailing to Nod.”  It’s an easy pattern of a crib quilt and/or wall hanging.  There are only two fabrics needed and 3 pieces for this silhouette of an old sailing ship.  The directions are written for a beginner at fusible applique and include directions for hand applique also.  I’ve even included cutting layouts just like you see in fashion patterns to make the best use of your fabrics.

There are options such as adding rigging using embroidery.  But wouldn’t it be fun to make that rigging out of beads?  How about adding some sparklers on the waves and the sails?  I can see this ship with different fabrics on the sails.  Each sail might be cut out separately as I’ve included implied lines of each edge where they overlap on the silhouette and there is a small drawing in the directions showing which sail should be sewn or fused down first, second, etc.

Of course, the pattern can be done as shown on the cover, minus the rigging, for a contemporary graphic look.  Do you have a sailor in the family, or a little boy or girl who might like to dream of sailing away to nod?

Go to the website and look at the pattern.  I hope you like it.

Teaching and Learning

Monday, September 29th, 2008Teaching is fun.  Learning is more fun.  Tonight I learned how to shorten my T-shirts.  I just completed my first one.  I’ve never used a dual needle before and, at my age, it’s about time.  The type of needle is long lost, so I’m not sure if it’s a sharp or ball point.  Seemed pretty sharp to me.  However, it worked fine with my Janome 6600 P with the Dual Feed system in play.  Now I only have a dozen more to do.  Why are t-shirts so long for me and my husband’s too short for his liking?  Hey, could be because I’m 5’2? and he’s 6? 3?, ya think?

I haven’t done much posting but hope to do it on a fairly regular schedule.  I’d like to pass along tips and information I think would benefit anyone, quilter or not, and maybe make a comment about the world in general together with any quilting, designing, etc. I’m doing.

Now all I have to do is learn more about how to blog.  There’s so much to learn.

Bon Applique!

Teaching & hints

I’ve decided I need to blog more often and, after thinking about it, I would like to add a hint as often as I can.

Today’s hint:  Orvus soap.

Did you know you can purchase Orvus W A Paste (soap) at a business that sells horse supplies?  It is actually a horse shampoo but is the same soap sold for quilts.  A (120 oz.), 7.5 lb plastic jug costs around $20.00 +/- plus tax.  I have been using it for gently soiled clothing/sheets, etc. for years in my washing machine.  I only use one (1) Tablespoon of it per load.  At 120 ounces, if you divide it by the 8 oz. in a cup, you have 15 cups of the soap.  As there are 16 Tablespoons in a cup, you have a total of 240 wash loads per jug.  The paste can be liquid if warm or like a soft fluffy consistency when cold.  Sometimes you’ll use more or less than a Tablespoon.  But, if you could do 240 loads of clothes per jug, it would cost you approximately $.09 per load. Compare that to your detergent cost!

I met some really good people up in Bulls Gap, Tennessee, this weekend.  If you are ever in the area, go visit  Olde Towne Quilt Shoppe, and Gail Wise, at 153 S. Main Street.  It’s a great shop with friendly people.  Tell them I said, “Hey!”  (If you’re not a southerner, Hey is the same as Hi.)  Until next time, Florine

Organizing

Have you ever been so disorganized that you are paralyzed when it comes to getting things done?  Don’t know where you are and what to do next?

I’ve been through 3 house moves and become unglued.  Now I’ve begun a massive reorganization of my business office, home office and sewing room.  It’s an exhausting process, but also an exhilarating feeling to  get a handle on all that paperwork and those projects.  I can’t wait to get to the stage of maintaining only when the creating patterns can began again.

Here’s my new rule:  If it take less than 2 minutes, do it now!

Colds, remedies, coughing, organizing

Late night here in Georgia as I’m working on getting organized.  It will take weeks I’m afraid, but I look forward to being done with it all.

SLEEPING DESPITE A COUGH:  Here’s something to try if you, or someone in your family, has a cold with a bad cough.  I read that if you put Vick’s Vapor Rub on the soles of your feet (or kids feet) and put on socks immediately before bedtime, your coughing will stop in 30 minutes and you’ll sleep well.  I tried it and it works!  Amazing.  (I also read that if you take a garlic bud, cut it and rubbed it onto the soles of your feet, you’ll taste garlic in your mouth in about 20 minutes.  Haven’t tried that one yet.  Let me know if it works.)

COUGHING WHILE FLYING HINT:  We had to get on a plane when we both had horrible coughs.  I knew I hated being around someone coughing constantly in a plane so before we got on in Minneapolis to come back to Georgia, we purchased 2 thick washcloths.  We folded them twice to get a nice sized square pad.  Every time we needed to cough, we coughed into these washcloth pads.  It muffled the sound of the cough and kept germs from flying everywhere.   I don’t think anyone noticed that we had bad colds.  Try it.  Your fellow passengers will appreciate it.

Off to Florence, SC, Wednesday to give a program Thursday and teach Friday.  I’m looking forward to meeting everyone there at the Fox Swamp Guild.  ‘Till then.

Florine

Florence, SC

I had a great time in Florence with the Swamp Fox Guild.  Their name tags are so good looking, and the fox is really cute.  Thanks ladies.  You now have a bunch of roosters, so don’t let the fox get at ‘em!

Still organizing.  It’s good to see areas that are getting much better.  “Getting Things Done,” by David Allen has a very good system if you’ve got a million little things to do and keep track of.

I’m going to Aiken, SC, in March for a program and class.  I’m looking forward to that.  I’m hoping things will be humming along around here by then.

There are some new patterns in our future.  Some are already drawn just waiting for the time to finish them.

Keep your stitches hidden,  Florine

That Radical Rooster, Ricky, the dancer

As some of you know, I’ve tried and tried to get Ricky (the dancer) right.  Two or three times I worked on and changed his design.  Twice I worked on his colors and he just didn’t like them.  Getting him out of the coop has been hard for me!  You know, trying something over and over gets discouraging but I read something the other day that inspired me.  It was “do what you love and the rest will come easy.”  I decided to not overly think his colors but to go to my fabric room and started pulling fabrics.   I had finally gotten his design where I wanted it a month ago.

Today, I started to assemble him.  Yesterday I traced each piece on fusible.  Today I started deciding which fabric to use where.  He is starting to look really good to me.  He’s a bit flamboyant but that’s what he wanted for his act on the stage.

Yes, each of these roosters have talked to me every time I’ve worked on them.  They tell me their stories and I pass them on to you.  One of these days, I’m going to write a book about their adventures.  Oh gosh, now that I’ve said that, I’m going to have to sit down and finish that book I started a year ago.   I’ll have to self publish, I’m sure!

Watch for Ricky to show up on the web site.  After that, keep watching, because there are several more patterns coming up.

Tally ho!

Florine

Deadlines Met!

Deadlines. Stress! More deadlines, more stress.  Relief when a deadline is met.

I’ve had several deadlines lately and have been working frantically on them. My first deadline (self imposed) was getting a new rooster design finished and printed.  RICKY is now on the market and on my web site.

Second deadline was to get the mother of all those Radical Roosters finished in time for Spring Market in Pittsburgh in May.  She is ready for her close-up now and her name is HILDA.  People have been asking for a hen and she will be it.

When I start working on a design, I make up samples on applique pressing sheets.  If I don’t like them, I just peel them off and start another.  It’s a lot of work, but that’s how I have to process it.  After 2 failed attempts on Hilda, the 3rd looked good to me.  I have completely finished a wall hanging of her and now the real work begins!  She needs to be photographed, a cover designed for her, directions have to be written and a back cover devised and checked.  Then everything needs to go to the printers.  When all components are back, we start assembling the patterns, send samples off to distributors (keeping our fingers crossed) and work up a suitable ad for magazines, etc.  It’s a lot of work with a lot of steps.

The 3rd deadline was when I was asked to make a project for a book Dilys Fronks is working on.  I thought I had plenty of time, but was surprised when, on Friday evening, I was told they needed a photograph on Monday of the completed project.  Everything else in my life was stopped and I was able to complete it enough to be photographed and sent via email to Wales on deadline day.  The book won’t be out for at least 9 months.

I feel like I’m off to the races!

BTW, we were recently in Aiken, SC, and met lots of wonderful quilters there.  If you ever get a chance, visit Aiken.  We’d like to go back and explore.

Florine

Time Sure Flies!

Being busy is good, and bad.  Thinking of saying something here but then deciding maybe no one would be interested keeps me from blogging.  Anyone out there with the same problem?

Anyway, I have been working frantically on a new design for my BON APPLIQUE! division.

The project has turned out so well that 2 of the 3 people who’ve seen it said, “WOW.”  The 3rd one just couldn’t get over how beautiful it turned out.  Hopefully, everything will be ready for Quilt Market in Houston (Oct. 10-12, and Quilt Festival Oct. 15-18.)  I’m keeping my fingers crossed.  Until then, no one else knows what it is.

I will try to keep posts lots more current.  See you soon.

Florine

This entry was posted on Friday, September 18th, 2009 at 7:29 pm Bad Blogger!

I can’t believe it’s been so long since my last post. I’m a bad blogger!

I tried, yes I did, in 2009 to get totally organized. I did get some done, but still have a long way to go. Life keeps getting in the way. So the organizing will continue in 2010. However, 2010 will also be the “year of learning” for me. There are so many things I do not know how to do with computers in general that I must start learning how to do them. Time gets shorter every year and it’s too frustrating not knowing that which I should know by now. Have you numbered any white socks lately? I just sorted mine out again and it sure saves time. Until next week and an announcement just for you people who love to do fusible applique. Florine

This entry was posted on Saturday, February 27th, 2010

Oh, oh!  It’s been almost a month since the last post and I thought I could do one a week.  Optimistic, wasn’t I?

I’ve been reading about procrastination and have learned that a reason for being one of those people could be that you’re a perfectionist.  Seems true to me.  Sometimes we need someone to kick us in the butt to get us going…or keep us going.  Now I know I need someone like that, but it can’t be my husband!   I need an outsider to do the dirty work. Does anyone want to nag me?

Anyway, I do have some goals and one is to complete a project I call “pieces.”  Let me explain.  When I teach fusible web applique, I give each student a couple of sheets of drawings of each of the individual pieces of the pattern we’ll be using.  These “pieces”  all have the proper seam allowance drawn on them which allows the pattern to be assembled on an applique sheet instead of a fabric background.  These seam allowances are there just to hook the pieces together so that when finished, the pupils can gently peel off the entire design,  place it on a background fabric, be it a block, shirt back, etc.  Then all they have to do is press it down.

Because I have been required to make shop models quickly, I devised this way of constructing the models fast and easy.  It was a trial and error method of learning.

It has occurred to me that lots of people with my rooster designs want to do them the fusible way and they could use these tricks of the trade pieces I’ve devised.  So I’m working on them now and will have them available as soon as I finish up each one.  They will be in sets (both the simplified and advanced versions) .  Ralph is finished and Hilda  (only one version) will be ready in a day or two.  I’ll keep you informed of my progress.

I’m looking forward to my visit with the Hearts ‘n Hands Quilt Guild in O’Fallon, Illinois on May 11 and 12.  We’re going to have some fun!

Florine

This entry was posted on Monday, March 22nd, 2010

Competition

Look around you at your next quilting meeting. Who are you in competition with? How do you feel about competing with Tammy, Dolly or Helen? Does it make you feel inadequate? Frustrated? Tired? Hopeless?

Well, STOP IT! Really, the only person you should compete with is yourself. Yes, you. Are you better than you were at cutting, sewing, quilting than you were last year? Of course you are. So you’ve won the competition games.

Competing with someone else is a losing proposition. You don’t know their inborn talents, their hours of practice or their environment for learning. You can’t possible know what they know and can do.

Decide today that you’ll compete only with yourself from now on. It’s more fun that way!  Florine

This entry was posted on Saturday, March 27th, 2010 I’ll be on the internet radio!

Monday, May 3th, I’ll be on Pat Sloan’s radio show. Come and listen in. If 4:00 p.m to 5:00 p.m. (I’ll be on at 4:30) isn’t convenient, you can access it for awhile as it will be taped. To listen in, go to:

http://toginet.com/shows/creativetalkradio

I’m giving away a packet of 3 of my patterns so go here to leave a comment about the show and be eligible for the prize until Friday at noon the week of the show.

Come check in to listen or download to a player for later listening.

This should be a lot of fun!

http://www.patsloan.typepad.com

This entry was posted on Thursday, April 29th, 2010

When making a quilt

Are you able to do everything well from choosing the pattern to choosing the fabric to completion of the quilt?  Do you perhaps piece very well but have other areas you wish you could do better?

Which part of the quilting process makes you uneasy or hesitant?

Do these problems turn your project into a UFO?  (UnFinished Object)

Is there a way to overcome this lack of competency in any part of quilting?  Well, yes there is!

Did you know that you can become an expert, or at least a very, very competent quilter?  Is there a secret?  Here’s what some experts tell us.  I’ve read that if you learn about, practice on, try again, think about it and do something for 1,000 hours, you’ll be an expert on that thing.  OK, maybe you’ll only need 100 hours or even only 8 hours.  It just depends, but you should concentrate on it.  Just make a project of it.

What if you decide that you hate binding and don’t know how to do it.  How can you learn how to bind your quilt beautifully?  Here are a few suggestions you can use with this, or any other part of quilting.

1.  Ask a quilting friend to go over the process with you.

2.  Take a class on the subject.

3.  Go to a quilt shop and ask for help.

4.  Purchase a book or check one out at the library.  They have quilting books!

5.  Search the internet for answers.  eHow.com or go to a search engine like Google and type in “How to bind a quilt.”  You’ll get many locations with instructions and/or short videos on how to do it.  Many famous quilters have teaching videos on their sites.

6.  Once you have some instructions,  it’s time to practice on a sample.  A small sample can be made from fabric you wish you hadn’t bought and may never use.  (What was I thinking!)  It could be made of old clothes you cut up or from bargain cloth from discount stores or garage sales.  Bind 8? to 10? squares until you have it down pat.

There are parts of quilting I need to practice also.  Let me know when you’ve tried some of these suggestions and how they worked for you.

Get To It and Do It! Florine

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 4th, 2010

Will this quilt ever be finished?

Back in January, 2003, a large group of  hand appliquers in my guild (Mountain Laurel Quilters’ Guild in Clarkesville, GA, decided we should each purchase the book “Rose Sampler Supreme” by Rosemary Makhan, then get together once a month to compare notes on the blocks and do some stitching.  I worked diligently on my blocks and finished 18 of the 20 blocks needed.  Then it was put aside as my pattern business was growing fast.    Over the years I thought about the quilt but couldn’t find the time nor inspiration to go back to work on it.  Some others in the group finished theirs within a year and more after that.  I don’t know how many unfinished quilts there are besides mine.  The group broke up after some had finished.

Energy was leaving me year by year and finally, a couple of months ago, I found out I was dangerously low on Vitamin D.  I was tired all the time and the more I “rested,” the more I needed to rest.  I just couldn’t get up the desire to do anything.  I asked to be tested for Vitamin D deficiency as my doctor hadn’t much to say about why I might be so tired.   Here I was thinking that age was catching up on me at last at 73.

I was given a prescription for 50,000 IU’s of D to take once a week for 8 weeks.  The first pill I took was at noon.  The next morning my attitude had done a complete turnabout!  I was still too tired, but I was willing to think about doing things.  Over the 8 weeks period, I have recovered more each week.

I took my 8th pill last Wednesday and am now exercising 6 days a week.  I walk Monday, Wednesday and Friday.  On Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday it’s “Do it with Debbie” day.  That’s Debbie Reynolds and her old VHS tape for us older gals of stretching and staying flexible.  It’s all done with 40?s music in the background.  I sure wish it were on CD, DVD or MP3!    If you can find one and have a player, it’s fun and has 3 classes, each one a bit more strenuous.  Thanks, Debbie!

The Rose Sampler Supreme blocks have come out of hiding now and are on my design wall.  I’m almost ready to stitch #19.  When # 20 is finished, I still have to consider all the work on the four borders.  Does thinking about all that work ahead make me tired?  Sure, but “Inch by inch, it’s a cinch.”

Have you had your vitamin D levels checked?  It seems there’s an epidemic of low levels all over the country and it’s so important to our health.

This entry was posted on Saturday, August 14th, 2010

I’ve been thinking!

We dash through our days, doing what we have to do and trying to keep up.  Often there are little things that bug us but we don’t think we have the time to stop and really think about them because we are in such a hurry.

If you want to stop being bugged by something, put on your brakes!  Just stop!   Don’t think about anything else for a few minutes.  Think about what’s so irritating about it and then start thinking about how you could eliminate this one thing that’s been bugging you every time you have to do it or look at it.

It worked for me when I was so irritated about sorting socks (see earlier blog.)  Now I breeze through that chore without thinking about it while watching TV.  Not only does this get me through the chore, but I’m no longer bugged or irritated or angry about it.   YES!

Try it and let me know how you eliminated stress on one thing simply by stopping and thinking about it.  We can all benefit from it.

This entry was posted on Monday, August 30th, 2010 I’m a bad blogger!

It’s been months since I last added to this blog.  Sometimes life and sometimes health get in the way.  I’ve pretty much recovered from my devastatingly low count of Vitamin D and am again ready to work and sew.

I have become a sponsor on the web site http://www.pigtalesandquilts.com.  You should check out the site and sign up for some prizes.  I hope you win.

Meantime, I’m working on a short video on how to use the board (Florine’s Fabulous Board) and hope to have it ready before too long.

If you’ve seen my photo on the web site, you’ll be surprised that I’ve had my hair all cut off.  OK, most of it off.  Now it’s a quick shampoo in the shower, a swipe with a comb and then blow it on high speed so it can go wherever it wants to go.  Sure is quick.

I’ve had people ask how to machine quilt the roosters and I plan to add some photos of various ones quilted by several quilters to show you.  Stay tuned!  But first I have to find out how to do that.

Florine

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 2nd, 2011