adventures of a quilting diva

4 more Dear Diary 2010 blocks to share. Been doing a lot of free-style piecing recently (spontaneous, use-up-your-scraps style sewing).
Want to see more? Visit Quilter’s Choice Network for my Tiny Treasure Adventure and more Dear Diary 2010 blocks.

Earthquake? Hurricane? Tornado?

Actually, none of the above. I’m preparing to purchase a mid-arm quilting machine, so I’m making room in the studio. That’s a book shelf on the right and it’s moving downstairs along with most of its contents which as you can see now reside all over the floor.

Their new home will be our dining room, soon to be scrapbooking center. Food is not that high of a priority in the grand scheme of things, right? At least it’s not taking over the kitchen, so I can still cook. Although, the kitchen does have the best storage facilities in the house.

After DH helps me move the furniture, the quilting machine will go on the right side of the room. Hopefully its table can be adjusted to the height of the white desk. Then I can put them together in an L-shape configuration and have even more space to spread out.

Recently I attended the closing reception of the Fiber 2010 art show at the Brandstater Gallery, La Sierra University. Many of the pieces I saw on the walls there, I could have easily imagined hanging on the black curtains of any top quilt show. Step inside with me because there are also many surprises to be found inside as well.

One of the features I liked best was the artwork hanging from the middle of the ceiling. You could walk around it and enjoy it from all sides, and watch it blow in a passing breeze, such as with this piece, Memories Haunt (2009) by fiber artist Cindy Rinne.

The fiber art took on all kinds of materials, shapes and sizes. Handmade paper, copper, recycled plastic and even fish bones took their place alongside art quilts and weaving. The chairs were a beautiful and useful part of the exhibit and featured appliqued fabric (you could not only touch them, you could sit on them too!)

Artist Brecia Kralovic-Logan explains how she came to create Aqua Vapor Vessel (2008), where she challenged herself to make a vase from fabric but not sewn together (above and below). You can look down inside and see all the shimmering layers.

Whether we aspire for our fabric creations to hang on stark white art gallery walls, deep black quilt show curtains, or simply atop a loved one’s bed, we all share the joy of using our hands to turn the visions of our heart into reality. I hope this mini tour has inspired you as much as it inspired me. May we all look at our fabric stash with new eyes and see fresh possibilities.

Next week I’ll show you what was hanging on the walls.

I’m back online. Did you miss me?

Here’s the story:

Yesterday a user “jos” registered on my site with the email “john@chetkoe.tv”. That’s strange, I didn’t recall asking for people to register. So after checking to make sure it wasn’t somebody trying to subscribe by RSS or something, I deleted the user and changed my WordPress password.

When I got back home I started a backup of my entire site so I could upgrade to WordPress 2.9.2. DH wanted to go out to eat, so I left the backup running and went out. After all, not cooking dinner is a good thing, especially when you have a hacker to deal with.

Got home, got my backup, but couldn’t get into my dashboard with my new password. I still had access to my cPanel though, so I upgraded to 2.9.2 and then temporarily took my blog down.

Finally got another password and got back into my dashboard, where I promptly changed the registration settings, checked to make sure my files were clean, and here I am!

Lesson learned.

Here’s the moral of the story: If you’re still running an older version of WordPress this could happen to you. RUN, do not walk to the nearest computer and upgrade immediately (after backing up your site of course). Do not pass Go, and do not stop at the Old Spaghetti Factory, as delicious as that might be. (Feel free to go celebrate after you’re finished! Fighting hackers can be hungry work after all.)

Also in your dashboard, go to “Settings” in the menu on the left and click on “General”. If the “Anyone can register” box under “Membership” is checked then uncheck it. This is one way hackers can get in and if given enough time might even be able to set themselves up as an administrator. Then they will be able to do quite a bit of damage to your site, make you look like a spammer, etc. I’m not sure if this hack still works on 2.9.2 but it’s better to be safe than sorry.

Luckily I was right there when it happened so I was able to catch it in time and prevent any permanent damage (except for the inconvenience of having to fix this whole mess instead of making art). You can be sure that in the future I am going to make regular backups of my site, as well as upgrade my WordPress as soon as the upgrades are out of beta.

Happy Quilting!

To top off the year, here’s my favorite posts from 2009 in case you missed them or just want to reminisce with me.

January: Shine in 2009! ~ One of my goals for 2009 was to have fun and I succeeded on that count. 2009 was a lot of fun. I also accomplished quite a lot too.

February: Quilt-cycle ~ This was a really fun quilt! Scroll down to the end of the post for tips on making your own quilt from recycled materials.

March: In case you were wondering … February quilting ~ More quilting fun, this tutorial is easy too!

April: It’s a beauty! ~ I would show you the rest of my New York Beauty blocks, but I have to finish piecing them. Here’s the first.

May: Tip Tuesday: Mix it up! ~ Most quilters prefer either piecing or applique (I’m an applique gal). Mixing both together makes a dynamic block and you don’t feel so overwhelmed by your less-favored technique.

June: Muse Monday: Donuts! ~ Whether or not you’ve resolved to lose weight in 2010, donut-shaped designs are calorie-free!

July: Muse Monday: Surf’s up! ~ Miami colors are so fresh and fun!

August: Muse Monday: Inspiration in your stash ~ I’m almost finished with this stash reorganization. I’m down to the odd-shaped pieces and new, unwashed fabric.

September: Happy Dance: It’s launch day! ~ My first book, yippee!

October: Tip Tuesday: Getting started with free motion quilting ~ Don’t you just love it when the quilting designs fall into place effortlessly?

November: Pocket Full of Posies ~ One of my most fun block designs, and a tutorial for Kurumi cover buttons, too.

December: Muse Monday: Inspired by … deadlines! ~ Several years in the making, and all by hand, I love how my African Folklore Embroidery wall hanging turned out.

As far as 2010 is concerned, I have a lot on my plate so it’s probably better if I don’t list it all out in one place or think about all of it at one time.

Happy New Year! =(^_^)=

… Nancy at Roadrunner! Congratulations!

Nancy’s favorite color palette is blues and yellows. She says, “Yellow is such a happy color”. I agree, Nancy. The yellow fabric section is one of the first places I head to when I visit my local quilt shop.

Here’s what my Posies block might look like in blue and yellow (with a little green thrown in for good measure).

Thanks everyone for entering and for sharing your favorite colors. Hope you’ll visit again.

… Not the space shuttle launch, but my book release! I almost forgot to tell you …

That’s right, Fast, Fun & Easy Fabric Cover-Button Jewelry: Create Gifts & Glamour in an Afternoon is now available for your creative pleasure!

I’ve always wanted to wear my fabric stash, but without all the fuss of getting body measurements exactly right, making two sleeves that are the same length, and etcetera.

Luckily getting two earrings the same length is much easier {and faster} than sleeves. You can even get up early, make a pair to match your outfit, and wear them that very same day. Try doing that when making a blouse or jacket.

I’m working on the PayPal shopping cart for my new website. It’s nearly finished and when it’s done, (Friday 9-18-09 update: the shop is now open!) I will have a special offer for you, my wonderful blog readers:

One free Kurumi Mini Lanyard Kit with every book purchased through October 5, 2009 to get you started on your button adventure. This kit includes two Kurumi cover buttons and a silver-plated mini lanyard. Just enter “DIVA” in the coupon code box. There’ll be a box for if you want your book signed as well.

The online shop should be open this weekend. Until then feel free to look around. (Friday 9-18-09 update: the shop is now open!)

Here’s one of my Kurumi Mini Lanyards. Making a mini lanyard is even faster and easier than making a pair of earrings, because you only have to make one and it doesn’t have to match anything in particular. (Just follow the earrings instructions starting on page 41, substituting the mini lanyard in place of the earring finding and make only one instead of two.)

Hang your Kurumi Mini Lanyard from a USB flash drive, cell phone, digital camera, purse strap or belt loop.

happy beading! =(^_^)=

My daughter made this teddy bear quilt as a present for her best friend. She chose each fabric to remember the special things that they did together. It’s finished pillowcase-style and tied so that she wouldn’t get too worn out and discouraged by the sometimes long process of making a quilt.

She’s thrilled with the results and is also excited about designing and sewing fashions as well as quilts. And of course fabric shopping … I now have a ready-made partner for hitting all the fabric stores in town!

I’ve wanted to do a Wordle word cloud of my blog for quite some time now but just never got around to it. So, here’s the Wordle for my blog:And here’s a “Twordle” for my Twitterfeed (Do you Tweet? Follow me on Twitter):

Wordle Word Clouds ©2009 http://www.wordle.net