All You Need is Love

My oldest brother, Jim, was a teen in the 60's when the Fab Four swept the nation. No surprise that he passed on his love for the Beatles to me. I'm sure it was funny to hear a 3 year old try to sing "Strawberry Fields" at the daycare center, but I knew all the words by heart. About the time I bought my first Beatles poster, they go and break up. How dare they do that! So, I've always thought, "If I just hadn't bought that poster...." . Anyway, fast forward to 1985. I am having trouble getting the then infant Legal Adult to sleep. I start singing Beatles tunes to him, however off key I may be, and he goes to sleep. In 1989, the portable CD player came out, and came down in price (still $200!) and I buy the Beatles Cd's.
The Legal Adult hears this music, day in and day out and loves it. He has always been after me to make a "Beatles Quilt". The only one I had ever seen was made by sisters, Pat Holly and Sue Nickels and won Best of Show in the AQS show in 1998.How happy I was to learn that Cranston had come along with Beatles fabric from the cartoon! That way, I didn't have to try to come up with Beatle images and loads of applique, which I completely reek at. Well, I guess I could've done the whole fusible thing, like I did for the Boy Scout quilt. But that wouldn't hold up to the Legal Adults wear and tear. He plans on using this quilt. His Aunt made him a quilt as a child and he's still using it!
This spirally, groovy, funky, 60ish fabric is from
Funtastic Fabrics, and I thought it was perfect!

So, the Beatles fabric is PREORDERED from my favorite online shop, Over the Rainbow. I got it for $6.99 instead of $8.75 that allot of other online shops were charging.
Now, to figure out how to put it all together so he can have it before Christmas! Ironically, I found this picture on my computer....you can tell that John was his favorite Beatle, can't you?

Progress on the hobo bag and a Legal Adult update

First and foremost, I'd like to thank you all for your kind thoughts and wishes about The Legal Adult. Your words and prayers have meant much. The Pickle and Rockstar accompanied me to the airport to drop big brother off. I haven't flown since before 9/11, so I wasn't really sure what to expect. We weren't allowed to wait in the terminal with him. That really reeked because we hadn't said our goodbyes. Imagine saying goodbye in front of the security guards and a bunch of people waiting in line behind you...it wasn't the way I wanted to say goodbye. But we did see him through security and I gave him the sign language sign for I love you. He did the same, held it to his heart, and reached out in my direction. I was absolutely FINE until he did that. The next thing I know, the tears finally showed up. Oh, I wasn't sad for him, I was feeling wretched for me. I've done this with him before but this time, I knew it would be awhile before I saw him again. He called me when he landed, and he's doing well. Anyway, thanks again for your support!

I want to show you what I did with my thanksgiving break. It was my first time trying to bead anything, so I read up on it online.




I bought most of the beads from Michael's.



I used fishing line to attach the beads. It's not like from the tackle shop, just check the beading area of your Michael's or Hobby Lobby.







The best thing I found was a needle with a collapsible eye. Really saves your sanity.

Enter the Matrix

Ever since that crazy movie came out, I've been entertaining a thought: wouldn't a Matrix quilt be cool? But I had trouble finding text material. So, I put my design on the back burner.

Well, good ole Bear Paw Quilt Company is carrying this computer fabric. So, I guess after my Quilt of Valor is in the mail, I'll start planning that again.


In case you were wondering how that's going, here's a preview:



I still have to sew the blocks together, but at least they're all finished. I was hoping to have this in the mail this week, but family obligations and disasters have been going on.

Second Childhood Adventures

Some of you were like me. You lived out in the sticks when you were young, with no other playmates around. And you loved your Barbies. They were, indeed, friends. Perhaps like me you had nothing but brothers. My brothers were notorious for giving my Barbies haircuts. It still grieves me that my mother didn't even punish them for destroying my dolls. Sigh...better get over it. It's just been 38 years. The statue of limitations for mean brothers must have run out by now.

Anyway, along comes ebay. And they have some of my dolls. They, of course, want a pretty pricey penny for them. So, I came up with a plan. I'd 'recreate' my doll. A lot of times, you can get the head, the body, the outfit for a deal. So that's what I did.

Meet Barbie's buddy P.J. from 1967. Her head, complete with sunglasses came seperately, as did the outfit. The beads, however, did not. I couldn't totally recreate her beads, so I did the best I could. I'm still waiting on a P.J. body on eBay. Then she'll be complete. You may be asking why would I do that since I don't have a daughter to pass it on to. I'm asking myself the same thing. Maybe the Legal Adult or the Rock Star will have a little girl that I can pass it on to someday. Maybe I'm just getting nostaglic in my mid-40's.

Oh, for my birthday, I saw this fabric on sale and fell in love. It's Fusions by Robert Kaufman. I don't really know what I'm going to do with it, but I have 2 yards to figure it out.

WIP Wednesday

Okay, it's not REALLY a WIP, but future one. Does that count? I've been purging stuff getting ready for a community-wide yard sale, so quilting has kind of taken a back burner. I did get this great piece of fabric this past weekend. Can't give you a name, but it's some kind of Island print that I got at Joann's.


Now these I got the last time I went by the fabric store. I'd link it, but they haven't gotten with the times and gotten a webpage. They are 9x11, and only .50 a piece. They're Sherrill Kahn's "Fire Within II" Collection .
Ya'll know what an abstract bent I have. Now I have to figure out what to do with this stuff. Any suggestions?