Piecin' Love

I'm a Quilting Teacher Now!

2011-11-17T10:40:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know. I'm not so good at keeping up with this blog, am I?
Since I last posted, the quilt shop that I worked in for 4 years closed. The bad news is I lost a job that I loved very much. The good news is when one door closes, another one opens and I gained an even better job! I am now an adjunct instructor for Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) where I teach quilting classes. How cool is that???
I love it. I adore it. My absolutely most favorite classes to teach are the True Beginner Quilting classes and the Computerized Quilt Design (EQ7) classes. My boss at the quilt shop would tell you that I avoided beginner classes like the plague. What a surprise it was to find that I love it. There is such a reward in teaching non-quilters how to quilt and seeing the light shine in their eyes when they have a finished quilt that they made from beginning to end all by themselves.
Of course I am still longarm quilting at home. At the moment I am rather overwhelmed with work between the two jobs, but what a blessing it is to have the work! To be able to earn a living from what I love!
My grandbabies are growing like weeds. Kilee will be 2 years old in December and has started recognizing me in photos and calling me Nana. Time flies. Layla, who was born May 21, is learning how to crawl and has stolen my heart. Sweet precious babies.
Daughter Leslie finished her schooling for Massage Therapy and works full time at The Day Spa in DePere, WI. Son Matt (father of my grandgirls) is in school for a degree in Natural Resources. His fiance, Becky, is a stay at home mom and she rocks!
My parents came for a visit in early August. We were one of many stops on their 5 month long RV vacation. Being retired agrees with them.
In late August, for my birthday, I took a trip to California to see a long lost friend from my years in the Air Force. Lori found me on Facebook! She just left this week to go home after visiting us in Wisconsin for 5 days. Beloved friend. We have so many good memories together.
In October, I organized a quilting retreat at the EAA Air Academy Lodge for the best group on Yahoo, the QuiltChicks. We had a blast as usual.
Thanksgiving is around the corner, gun season for deer hunting starts this weekend, and it's almost time for the snow to fly. This southern girl, even after 20+ years, still hates the cold and snow. Oh well. Good thing I have quilting to keep me warm.
Wishing you a joyful holiday season.
Piecin' Love,
Terri

I promised you a picture....

2011-03-02T07:01:00.000-08:00

....of this quilt. Borders are finished, binding is done and it's on the wall at The Quilter's Escape in Oconto Falls, WI. Kits are available.

Have a great day!

Terri

In like a lion, out like a lamb.....

2011-03-02T05:57:00.000-08:00

In like a lion, out like a lamb. So the saying goes......it was 40 yesterday but today it's only getting up to 21. I think my lamb is freezing it's behind off! Anyway.....
I belong to the Town 'n Country Quilt Guild of Pulaski, WI. We are having our bi-annual quilt show and I will have seven, possibly eight quilts in it.
The show will be at the Middle School in Pulaski from 9 to 4 on Saturday, April 2nd. Our theme is "Civil War Tribute" which is right up my alley.
I believe the entrance fee is $4.00 and everyone who buys a ticket will be entered to win prizes, including our grand prize quilts.
Please come and say hi!
Happy Quilting,
Terri

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-14T08:04:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy that we finally had some warm(er) weather yesterday. We topped out at 45 degrees, which was 62 degrees warmer than the morning two days before when we woke up to 17 below zero, real, not wind chill.
This morning we were in the thirties and, hey, I am not complaining! Just so anxious for the snow to melt!
I have to say, Valentine's Day has never been one of my favorite holidays, at least in recent years. With hubby and I both being self-employed, this is a tough one because "society" tends to make it all about going out to dinner, giving/sending flowers, jewelry or candy, etc. February is a rough month for us because quilting is typically slow for a couple of months after Christmas and heck, who is wanting to have their house painted in January or February? Money is usually tight or non-existent this time of year so we don't buy into the commercialism of the day. Although, DD Leslie did take me to Subway today for lunch and we got a free cookie in honor of Heart Day. :o)
I have something to share with you. Carly Simon is one of my all time favorite artists.
Happy Valentine's Day to you.

The Packers Won The Superbowl!

2011-02-07T09:26:00.000-08:00

What a great game it was! Nerve wracking but great! After watching the game at my son's house, we got home after midnight. But only after we battled all the traffic coming IN to Green Bay as we were trying to drive OUT! The city was going crazy! In a good way.

And now it's the day after and the excitement still carries on. When I woke up, Mark said "all that's on TV is weather and Superbowl". He had a hard time tearing himself away to go to work. And I had to grin at him. Because I know if he had his choice, he would be in his recliner, drinking coffee,, and watching the news coverage. This is a Packer Fan's dream....to see them become World Champions.

I found this T-shirt on Etsy. I love it! I can't stop thinking about it. Guess that means I have to buy it.

I've decided to celebrate by spending the day in my sewing room.

Happy Quilting!
Terri

Where did 2010 go?

2011-02-06T07:42:00.000-08:00

I can't even keep up with a simple blog. Sigh. So here I am again, with a resolution in my heart that THIS TIME I will do it. Right. Why don't I start with 2010, seeing as how I didn't blog a thing all year.
Let me first introduce you to my granddaughter, Kilee Reese Petasek, born Dec. 29, 2009.

She is already a year old. Here she is, getting "caked":

And I have an announcement! Kilee has a sibling on the way. Yes! I have a second grandbaby due May 19.

Darling Daughter Leslie has been going to school at Blue Sky School of Massage & Therapeutic Bodywork in DePere, WI. She graduates in just a few weeks.

Darling Son Matt, Kilee's dad, is going to Fox Valley Tech in Appleton, WI. He's enrolled in the Culinary Arts Program. He wants to be a private chef.

Hey! My own private chef and masseuse. I just need a housekeeper and personal assistant and I'll be good to go!

As for the rest of 2010...

Mark and I are empty nesters. It's not as easy as I thought it would be.
My beloved Siamese, Max, passed away at the age of 18 people years in January. I miss him so much.

In August, we welcomed Simon, an abandoned kitten found in our barn. Tucker and Simon have become buddies and Tucker takes great care to keep Simon entertained, and vise versa.

I worked at home, quilting for clients and making quilts to sell on Etsy.
I worked at my local quilt shop, The Quilter's Escape.
I got hired by Northeast Wisconsin Tech College (NWTC) to teach Electric Quilt Software and sewing/quilting classes for my local Oconto Falls District. I don't start until June, I think, because they have already planned the spring session, but I have that to look forward to.
I did go on two retreats. The first in April to Fern Hill, a retreat house down by New Glarus. And the second in October at the EAA Air Academy Lodge in Oshkosh. If you ever get invited to go on a retreat here, you have to check it out. Awesome!
Darling Hubby, Mark, is still running his painting business. 2010 was pretty slow for him. Not too many people looking to pay someone to paint for them. He did get in as a subcontractor with a local ServPro company doing smoke and water damage jobs, which is really nice. We're praying that it will turn into something big.

Guess that's it for now. My life in a blog post. :o)
Imagine this quilt with scalloped borders and 30's green binding. I will post a picture of the finished one as soon as I get one. It's hanging on the wall at the quilt shop.

Happy Quilting,
Terri
p.s. The Packers are in the SUPERBOWL!!!!!! Go Aaron Rodgers! Go Pack Go!
Brett Who????

Still here....

2009-11-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

....but not much new.
Anticipating the arrival of my first grandbaby in December. Had the baby shower on November 7th. I am soo glad I decided to hold it in a restaurant banquet room! The food was great, everyone had a good time and I didn't have to clean up!
Working.
Trying to find time to sew (on my own stuff).
Trying to stay warm.

Happy quilting.
Terri

I Must Have Got Lost....

2009-09-20T18:28:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I posted! Holy Cow!
It's been a busy year, I guess. LOL
Let's see...

Daughter Leslie transferred from UW-River Falls to UW-Green Bay. She didn't like being so far from home.
I made a king size memory quilt from my father-in-law's old clothes. It was a gift for Mark's mom. We lost "Grandpa" in Feb. 2008 to cancer.
Son Matt & fiance Becky moved in with us for a few months.
My longarm went back to the factory for a much needed overhaul. A long story, but it made it back home safely and is running good!
Matt & Becky moved out and into an apartment in Green Bay.
Leslie moved out and into an apartment in Green Bay.
We harvested the garden. Hubby Mark canned salsa, pickles, apple pie filling, tomato juice, italian sauce, corn, etc.
Our puppy Tucker isn't a pup anymore. He turned a year old in July. And he's rotten (as in spoiled).
I turned 50 in August.
Mark bought me a laptop for my birthday! A much needed (and desired) replacement for the dinosaur I was using before.
Matt & Becky are pregnant. I'm going to be a Grandma in December!
It's a girl! LOL
My mom and Dad came for a visit. They are on a 2 month trek in their RV. Lucky them!
Other than all that, besides longarm quilting at home, I've been working part time at the quilt shop plus teaching classes, leading clubs, learning how to set up and run the booth at a quilt show, and making shop samples.

Sorry I was away so long. As soon as I get pictures transferred from the old computer to my laptop, I'll post my quilting accomplishments from the last year.
piecin' love!
Terri

I Blinked....

2008-10-17T18:08:00.000-07:00

...and it's October already! What a summer!

Here's how my summer flew by:

1. Spent lots of time getting darling daughter ready to go to college. She finally decided on University of Wisconsin - River Falls. She's majoring in Elementary Education with a focus on Early Childhood Education. She likes the itty bitty ones. It totally blew me away how much it cost just to get her ready to live in a dorm room.

2. Son Matt spent a couple days in the hospital with food poisoning. Stay away from the jalapenos.

3. We lost our beloved black lab, Sam, to (we believe) stomach cancer. He passed peacefully at the vet's after a couple of weeks of suffering. We were sorry to see him go. He was only seven years old.

4. Someone dropped off a cat in our yard. She was pregnant and had kittens in an old silo on our property. She brought them to us (three) and we spent several weeks looking for homes for them. They are finally off with new owners, including "Mama".

5. We got a beagle puppy named Tucker who is a ball of fire and energy. He has a great personality but he's going through the "terrible twos". LOL

6. We moved Leslie into college. She's doing well, although it's four hours away and she's been home almost every weekend because she's homesick. I figure this will last till after Christmas break before she is really comfortable with college life.

7. Two weeks after Leslie went off to school, Darling Son moved back in. So much for empty nest. LOL

8. Darling Husband's painting business picked up again, but after the rough winter we had last year, he was hesitant to quit his job at the yacht company. So he spent the summer working two jobs while teaching son Matt the ropes of running the business. We are waiting to see how this winter goes. It would be wonderful if the two of them could make the business take off permanently.

9. Working at the quilt shop, teaching classes and quilting at home have kept me busy when I'm not taking care of the house, dog, etc.

10. Harvested the garden and canned veggies, salsa, pickles, etc.

11. Helped organize and set up my town's first ever quilt show. We had a great turn out. Over 200 entries!!!

12. Went on a quilting retreat that totally rocked. I put the final borders on my Women's Voices quilt and I can't wait to get it quilted and on my bed. This is it, but it's huge so couldn't get the whole thing in the picture.

I'm sure that's not all, but it makes my head spin just thinking about it.
Hope everyone had a great summer. I think I did but I can't remember.

piecin' love,

Terri

I'm Still Here!

2008-05-12T10:33:00.000-07:00

Hey there. Did you miss me? I know it's been a while but it seems like I just don't ever have time to catch my breath lately. I'm still here but things around my house have been on the verge of frantic.

DD Leslie (pic is from the powder puff football game during homecoming week) is graduating from high school on Memorial Day weekend. I've got all the functions to attend (such as Senior Tea, Senior Banquet, Senior Picnic) as well as the scholarship banquet and the senior awards ceremony. Plus family coming in from out of town, a party to plan, and college stuff to do. She's an honor roll graduate and will be attending the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay for a degree in Early Childhood Education.

DH Mark recently got a new job. You may remember he owns a painting business. Well, the housing business is sucking air and with fuel and everything else going up in price, no one is spending money on painting their house. We struggled through a really long hard winter and finally he made the decision to go work for someone else. Anyway, he was hired by a yacht company as a supervisor in the painting department. Surprisingly, the yacht industry is going strong. Go figure. LOL
He seems to be very happy there, although it's only been two weeks, and the pay and benefits are great! We are adjusting to him working second shift, but so far so good. I adjusted my hours for quilting at home so that we could spend time together in the morning and get stuff done around the house before he goes to work. It's hard to get any quilting done when he's home anyway, so it works out for both of us.

As for me, I'm still longarm quilting while working at the local quilt shop, teaching classes, and doing all the afore mentioned "stuff". My latest "favorite thing" is quilted totes. I'll take some pictures and post them. At the quilt shop, we're doing monthly "bag lady" classes and are we ever having fun!

Here's a couple of pics of our bluebird couple who returned this year. They were building a nest in an old cut off tree trunk but it only took a few days for some really obnoxious birds to come and chase them off. The trunk they chose was just too exposed for safety. Hopefully, they hadn't laid eggs in there yet. We still see them around but they haven't "shown" us their new nest yet.

Have a great day!

piecin' love,

Terri

Just a Quick Check-in...

2008-03-10T10:31:00.000-07:00

I've been sick for three weeks now with severe bronchitis and sinus infection. Twice (so far) to the doctor, one scary trip to the ER, three rounds of antibiotics, two rounds of prednisone.....I think I'm finally getting better. I lost my voice but the coughing is almost done, the breathing is no longer labored, and I'm finally up to a venture into the quiting studio. Just thought I'd check in and let you know I'm still here. I've got lots of catching up to do, but I'll be back!

Spring can come any time now.
piecin' love,
Terri

Robert J. Petasek, June 3, 1928 - Feb.15, 2008

2008-02-15T12:41:00.000-08:00

Mark's father passed away at 12:43a.m. this morning. He was a wonderful man and I will miss him terribly.

Thank you all for your prayers and kindness over the last few weeks.

piecin' love,

Terri

Quick Update

2008-02-05T19:12:00.000-08:00

Mark's mom was sent home from the hospital. All her testing revealed she has an ulcer but no heart problems. We had lunch with them on Sunday and they were in good spirits....tired but doing ok, considering. Mark's dad is suffering the effects of prolonged narcotic (pain killer) use...memory loss, confusion, little spurts of energy that he doesn't know how to handle and then profound tiredness. Hospice has started coming in to help Mom with Dad. And we are going to be setting up an extra sleeping space so we can take turns spending the night once in a while to allow Mom to get a full night's sleep. (Dad doesn't sleep through the night anymore).
Please keep them in your prayers.
The antique quilt is quilted. The customer chose Daisy Swirl pantograph by Jodi Beamish. It worked well with the quilt and is dense enough to secure all seams. Now I just have to get it binded. Thanks to Kathy K for your help and willingness to barter. :)
Still have to take those pictures!
piecin' love,
Terri

Prayer Requests, Antique Quilts and "Ear Candy"

2008-02-01T16:08:00.000-08:00

We've survived the trauma of my daughter's accident. Leslie's whiplash is better now. Silly girl went snowmobiling a week after the accident which put her back to square one in the healing process. The car is gone, having been "totalled" and hauled away by the insurance company. Now we're just waiting for the check to come so we can buy a different car. Thanks for your well wishes and prayers for Leslie.
Today, I have a couple of prayer requests.
First: My husband Mark's father has widespread cancer and they've started hospice to help his mom take care of him. They've upped his medication several times over the last couple of weeks. Right now they are just trying to keep ahead of the pain. My prayers for him are that he'll be comfortable for the time he has left.
Second: Mark is, as I write this, at the hospital with his mom. She was having chest pains so they took her to the emergency room. Initial testing, including EKG, didn't find anything, so they've decided to keep her overnight for stress testing. My prayer for her is that it will be something simple (anxiety, stress) that can be relieved with medication and she'll be able to go home tomorrow. I know she is under a lot of stress, taking care of Mark's dad and all, but she has had two operations in the last couple years to put stints in her heart. I am praying it isn't anything so serious this time. Mark's dad is stressed as well, from pain and worrying about her health.
Their names are Bob & Carol. If you could include them in your prayers, I would be so grateful.

Right now, I am very much enjoying the task of "restoring" an antique quilt made in the 30's. It's made with scraps of clothing and feedsack materials. All hand-sewn. It's a beautiful charm quilt made with trapezoid shapes. The lady who brought it to me said it was made by her grandmother. Apparently, sometime since it was made, the batting and backing were replaced. It came to me tied with yellow yarn and the backing is a sheet printed with yellow roses. The back was brought to the front and machine sewn down to make a wide border. I had to make some repairs to the front where fabrics raveled and seams came undone. She originally wanted me to quilt it as it was with an overall pantograph design to keep the seams secure and preserve it further for future generations. However, there were puckers in the back and the back was much looser than the front. I convinced her to let me take it apart, quilt it and use the extra fabric from the wide border to make a binding. I want to find a pantograph pattern that looks old-fashioned. I'll post pictures when I get a chance.
I just finished listening to a great audiobook. ("ear candy" LOL) It's called "The Undomestic Goddess" by Sophie Kinsella. Here's what's on the back cover: Workaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable. She's made a mistake so huge, it'll wreck any chance of a partnership. Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she's mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered a job as housekeeper. Her employers have no idea they've hired a lawyer--and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven. She can't sew on a button, bake a potato, or get the #@%# ironing board to open. How she takes a deep breath and begins to cope--and finds love--is a story as delicious as the bread she learns to bake.But will her old life ever catch up with her? And if it does...will she want it back?
It's really a fun book. And Renee Zellwegger popped into my mind while I was listening. I think it would make a great movie. :o)
Everyone have a great weekend!
piecin' love,
Terri

I Need A Break!

2008-01-25T13:34:00.000-08:00

What a week!
It all started with my daughter's car accident last Thursday. Before I go further, SHE'S OK! Thankfully, she was wearing her seatbelt and only suffered a neck muscle strain.
The snow storm was forecasted a week in advance. Snowstorm Emily or something like that. Seven to nine inches of snow expected between Thursday morning and midnight. Did school cancel? No. They gave an early release during the heaviest portion of the storm. What happens? 400 teenage drivers (plus school buses) leave school in 5 inches of snow and whiteout conditions. The plows have barely touched the accumulation. Five blocks from school, one of those drivers decides to make a quick left with no turn signal. An SUV has to slam on her brakes. Darling daughter slams on HER brakes and slides her little Alero 20 feet into the back of the SUV. Both airbags deploy. The front end is smashed. The SUV? not a scratch. The SUV driver (a teacher) had some lower back pain which she went to the hospital for. And of course, any time you rear end someone, no matter the cause, you are the one found negligent. So far the insurance company has been very good about everything. They've covered the medical bills and they totaled out Les's car. The estimate to fix was more than it's worth. ($1500 per Airbag, plus seatbelts and the front end). So now we wait for a check so we can get another car. And for our premium to skyrocket!
And the week just got "better" from there. Sigh.
I'm thinking it's time for a hot bath, glass of wine, a good book and the peace and quiet to enjoy it.
On a positive note, we watched an awesome movie last night! I have to tell you, this is the best movie I've seen in a LONG time! It's on my list to buy for my very own! Here's the trailer. Enjoy.

Happy New Year!

2008-01-04T17:45:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I can't believe another year has passed! I know....sounds so "cliche", doesn't it? But it's true. It really doesn't seem like it's been that long since I filed my income taxes. LOL

I have to get my taxes done early this year. No waiting until April to start on them. I gotta get them done so we can file the financial aid application for darling daughter to go to college. Nothing like a little incentive to light that fire under you know where!

Speaking of the new year, how did you celebrate? Hubby and I were home alone....no big surprise there. We've been "practicing" all year for the empty nest. Or, I should say, Leslie has "allowed" us to practice. ROFL Anyway....we had a little bonfire in the backyard. Here's a picture of Mark and our dog, Sam. Doesn't it look Frosty? It was actually pretty warm by the fire but even so, this transplanted southerner didn't last long! My tootsies were frozen! Here's a closeup of those trees you see off in the distance:
We cooked steaks over the fire, made some steamed shrimp and green bean casserole to go along with it, ate like pigs, and fell asleep on the couch before 10pm. How's that for a celebration???

I hope you all had a great Christmas and I wish you the best of the best in 2008!

piecin' love,
Terri

p.s. here's another (better) picture of the Women's Voices Quilt from my previous post. It was taken the weekend of the retreat when I finished it. That's Sandy on the left, me on the right. Everyone else was taking pictures and cheering (they were as happy as I was to see it finally finished!). :o)

Women's Voices

2007-12-11T08:31:00.000-08:00

I previously posted about the retreat I went on in October. Here is a picture of the quilt top that I FINALLY finished after three years of sewing and swearing:
It is a BOM from Keepsake Quilting. The instructions are written in the old way with templates. I had to convert to rotary cutting and Thangles (paper strips that make it very easy to do half square triangles without MATH) to save my sanity. Hence the swearing. And procrastination. Hence three + years. I think my retreat group is very happy they don't have to look at this one any more. LOL They've been cheering me on for three years running and they all clapped enthusiastically when I announced it was finished. Too bad we didn't have champagne. This one really deserved a celebration.
Now to find time for the quilting. Some day?
Notice the red ears. That's me in the middle of a hot flash. In front of my guild. Yay.

piecin' love,
Terri

Go Packers!

2007-11-14T09:36:00.000-08:00

Hello from Wisconsin. Not much going on here. Trying to catch up on quilts now that I'm feeling better. Just thought I'd take a minute and say hi.
HOW 'BOUT THEM PACKERS?!?! I can't say I'm much of a football fan. I watch the Packers with my hubby and usually that's kind of half-hearted. I'll have some hand sewing or a book and do the "watching TV with the top of my head" trick, basically taking up space, supplying snacks and beer and keeping him company which is all he really wants. But I'm pretty pumped about the Packers this year. 8-1!!! I've actually been glued to the TV the last couple of games. No hand sewing or reading being done on game day here! Mark can hardly believe it. LOL
Speculation is rampant about whether Favre is done this year or not. I say it depends on if he makes it to the Super Bowl. Others say he's broken all the records, there's no reason for him to stay regardless of the Super Bowl, since he's won one already. The NFL has been running all these "memorial" type stories during Packer games, acting like it's his last year. Whatever the answer ends up to be, The Pack is in prime form this year and I am actually enjoying the ride.
On that note, they are playing Detroit on Thanksgiving. My son Matt (see previous post) has a bet with a guy at work who is a Lions fan. Whoever's team loses has to shave his head. We're gonna have fun with that one at our family get-together! LOL

Have a great day!
piecin' love,
Terri

Sorry For The Rant....

2007-11-03T19:37:00.000-07:00

Apologies for yesterday's rant. Kind of got off on a tangent there.

I'm feeling much better today. I got some sleep courtesy of Nyquil, which helped tremendously. And then there's RETAIL THERAPY. Today my daughter had a Lia Sophia jewelry party and I bought the cutest earrings for myself and got a bit of Christmas shopping out of the way. Then I spent some time with Leslie, drooling over laptops in a Dell catalog that came in the mail. We even went online and played "build your own" at the Dell website. It's amazing how an $850 laptop can leap to over $1600 when you add in the stuff they don't tell you about in the catalog. LOL

Before I head off to Nyquil dreams, I thought you might get a kick out of these pictures from our South Dakota vacation in summer of 2006. We took loads of pictures. These make me laugh everytime I look at them.

This is me getting cozy with one of the "statues" in Wall Drug.

This is son, Matt..... Either Calamity Jane doesn't do it for him or he's wondering if he can sneak off without anyone knowing we're related.

Guess it was the former. LOL

piecin' love,
Terri

It's All My Fault

2007-11-02T07:02:00.000-07:00

My head feels like a bowling ball, my nose feels like it's gonna fall off my face, my chest feels like someone is sitting on it, and boy oh boy am I crabby....uugghh. It's that time of year again. When the crud starts getting passed around. And I've got it. Yay, me.
My hubby says it's my fault because I don't dress appropriately for the weather. But this is WISCONSIN. FALL in Wisconsin. When the weather changes every five minutes.
Warm, cold...wet, dry....windy, calm...
Add to that the fact that I am peri-menopausal. Can you say "Hot Flashes"? My idea of dressing for cold weather is two pairs of socks. Yea....my feet get cold. The rest of me....NOT. Well, when I do get cold, it lasts about 15 minutes. I keep an overshirt handy to throw on. 15 minutes later, it's off again. At night, I'm outside the covers more than I am under them....and hubby thinks I'm crazy. He doesn't understand the concept of hot flashes. He just doesn't get it.
So where am I going with this? I have no clue. LOL
Oh yea.....it's my fault I'm sick because I don't dress for cold weather. Sigh. Whatever.

Have a wonderful day! Stay healthy!
piecin' love,
Terri

Back From Retreat....and ready for the next one!

2007-10-23T09:55:00.000-07:00

Hi there! I went on retreat this past weekend. There is a group of five of us who go on retreat together once a year (except this year. We enjoyed it so much we went twice. LOL) We rented a cottage in Poynette, WI on a river with incredible scenery and lots of sewing room. I got back Sunday night, and my hubby took me out to dinner right away. What a blessing, cuz I did NOT feel like cooking!
What a great weekend! I finally got my "Women's Voices" BOM quilt finished. It is a BOM from the Keepsake Quilting catalog and I've been working on it off and on for about three years. It's a Civil War Quilt and the patterns were done using templates in the "old way". Trying to avoid the templates, I converted to rotary cutting technique as much as possible and I used Thangles when I could, but some of them I HAD to use the templates, so of course I saved the hardest blocks for last. My bad. But it's finally done and all my retreat buddies celebrated with me because they've been watching me struggle with it at the last three retreats. I will post a picture as soon as I get a chance. Right now, I am knee deep in quilting. Got three quilts to longarm by the end of the week.
We were near an Amish community this weekend so we took one afternoon and visited a few Amish businesses...a bakery (Yumm), a grocery store, and a quilt shop. The owner had one shelf of 100% cotton, one shelf of flannel and the rest was cotton/poly blend. She had maybe 3 or 4 prints of Christmas fabric (very curious) and all the rest were solids, no bright colors. It was very interesting to see the shop and talk to an Amish quilter. She asked us what types of fabrics we like and made such a funny face when one of our group said "Brights. The ones that are so bright they make your eyes hurt". We all agreed that if she developed a pattern and kit for an Amish style quilt, she would sell lots of her fabric. We also visited a furniture and basket shop. ALL the shops were so interesting. The furniture shop had the most gorgeous handmade furniture! Too bad I didn't have a U-haul along. Then again, my husband is probably glad I didn't. :o)
We watched lots of movies, ate lots of good food (and chocolate LOL), had a bonfire one night, and just had an all-around great time. I feel refreshed and anxious to do some more sewing. Looking ahead for the next retreat already.
Well, back to the studio. I'll post a picture soon. Have a great day, ladies!
piecin' love,
Terri

Fall has Arrived!

2007-10-10T07:38:00.000-07:00

Well, I think summer is finally over in Wisconsin. The fall colors are at peak and we had (I think) our last warm spell last week. Leslie is back in school, enjoying her senior year (and hating all the paperwork involved with applying for scholarships) and it sure is quiet around my house!

News: A new quilt shop opened here in my little home town of Oconto Falls, WI. It's called "Quilter's Escape" and is the cutest little place! I just love it. I'm going to be teaching classes there for the first time ever. My first class is called "Crazy Eights" using a pattern by Bits & Pieces. Here's a picture of my shop sample:The basic pattern calls for eight fat quarters. I added 8" squares to make it a bit bigger.I quilted it with a pantograph called "Cutie Patootie" by Miki & Diane Designs. Here's a closeup:

I'm a little nervous because I've never taught before but excited because it's a new adventure.

I've been busy quilting and helping hubby get caught up on the paperwork for his painting business in preparation for my upcoming quilting retreat weekend after next. I am so pumped! And so READY for some girl/sewing time! WooHoo! (Can you say.....MARGARITA?)

We spent last weekend helping my son move his STUFF out of our house and into his new apartment. He was storing it here in between living arrangements and it was overflowing into the room I want to turn into an extension of my quilting studio. Now....if I can just corral hubby into painting it for me. LOL Yea...ain't gonna happen til the snow flies, I'm sure, because he is busy painting houses in a hurry for people who want it done before winter hits. I'm not gonna complain because I know how slow it gets for him once it snows. He'll be here "keeping me company" before I know it.

Hope everyone is having a great day!

piecin' love,
Terri

Where Does The Time Go?

2007-09-14T08:22:00.000-07:00

Holy Cow. Time is just flying by. Seems like yesterday that I last posted and here it's been over a month. It's cooled off and the colors are changing already here in Wisconsin. Mark and I picked the last of our garden last night before the frost comes tonight. Checked the furnace, replaced the filters and we're trying hard not to turn it on yet. Soon, all too soon.

First up...here are some pics of the black & white star quilt from my last post. The customer loved it. The only thing she said was she wished she had asked for a contrasting thread on the back so the quilting shows up. She wanted something "curly" or "circular" in the star blocks. This is what I came up with, and then used the curly theme in the borders. It's hard to see, but the outside border has a feather-like vine with curls instead of feathers.

I tried getting pictures of the whole quilt, but you can't really see the quilting.

I love this quilt.

My daughter and I went on a trip in August. A combination birthday trip for me and a little vacation for Leslie before she entered her senior year of high school. We went to see my parents, who live in Clarksville, TN. On the way we stopped and spent the night in Tuscola, IL and shopped at the outlet mall there. The next day we stopped for a few hours in Paducah to visit the Quilt Museum and Hancock's of Paducah. Wish we had had more time but it was just as well, since the temps were around 105 and Leslie was anxious to get to Grandma's house.
Anyway, both places were absolutely awesome. The museum took our breath away. They had a wonderful display called "Oh, Wow... Miniature Quilts" that was just awesome! And the antique quilts! Oh, my.
My credit cards screamed in terror when we walked into Hancock's. Unbelievable. Half an hour after walking in, Leslie tells me "I can't believe we've been here half an hour and you only have three things in the cart" (drapery fabric to make a valance for her orange bedroom, a yard of chocolate colored fabric with pink flamingos on it and the large rotating Olfa cutting mat which was my birthday present to myself). I said "but I don't even know where to start. If I buy everything I like, I'll need a second mortgage and a U-haul to get us home!". So, I asked her to pick out a pattern that she would like to make (in my undying hope to get her interested in quilting). She picked out a cute wallhanging pattern with appliqued purses and high heel shoes on it and we were off. This girl loves picking out fabrics! We're talking stacks.
A good sign, right?
We got to my mom's without spending all our gas money to get home. The next day we went to Nashville for the AQS Quilt Show. This is the second time I have been. Beautiful quilts, (I especially enjoy the guild challenges) but to me it seems to be mostly a vendor show. We picked out more fabric for the wallhanging. I actually caught Les petting fabric in one booth. I had to laugh out loud. And if you could have seen the sheepish look on her face. She also found a pattern for the most adorable flip flop quilt. We both love flip flops. Old Navy flip flops. It's the only shoes we wear in the summer.
I bought the pattern, but told her I refused to buy fabric for it until the wallhanging was made. Now if I can just get her to help me put that wallhanging together. I also told her that it wouldn't get made unless she helped me. She said "I hate sewing", basing her opinion on the short experience of her 6th grade class. I said, "you don't have to sew, you can learn how to cut and press". I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I can make the process of quilting more enjoyable for her than that stupid pillow she had to make. LOL.

She's a senior this year and a classic "girly girl" who is into clothes and music. (Disregard the "convict number" on her forehead. LOL It's a preview from the photographer.
Gotta love those dimples.

As for me, I also got the set of patterns by Amy Bradley for the "Seasonal Quilter", which is a calendar type quilt with little quilts that you interchange on it for holidays, assorted fat quarters to feed my addiction, a handquilting hoop, thread, and some "quilting" T-shirts. I also decided while there that I definitely want to learn needlepunch. I just need to let my wallet gain some weight. It's a little skinny now. LOL
Oh, I also got to test drive my "dream machine", the APQS Millenium, at the show. Sigh. Someday. And I realized after we left the show and I looked in the packet of APQS info, that I had actually been talking to Marilyn Badger, master quilter. What a nice lady.

I guess that's it for today. Hope everyone is having a wonderful day! As for me, I'm off to the studio. Harry Potter is waiting for me to put my headphones back on.

piecin' love,
Terri

Monday Morning

2007-08-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

It's Monday morning. Sigh. I hate Mondays. It's so hard to get motivated after the weekend.

I have a quilt on my machine that is challenging me and now, here I sit at the computer when I should be in my studio. Here's a picture of it:

It's a gorgeous quilt. I'm not sure what the block pattern is called but the quilt is so striking with the black and white and a spot of color in the center of each block. The owner wants something "swirly" or "circular" in each block. I have a good idea of what I'm going to do but whenever I am challenged to step outside my box I tend to be slow in starting. And does it have to happen on a Monday? I'll post pictures of the finished quilt when it's done.

Here are a couple of pictures of a quilt I did last week. I love the happiness of this quilt. Scrappy quilts really do it for me. :o) This quilt was made by Gerda's (see my previous post) daughter. I used mostly "line dancing" technique and I had so much fun doing this one. And best of all, the owner loved the finished quilt.

There are more photos in my Webshots.

On Aug. 21, my daughter and I are going on a "girls" vacation. She's not a quilter, but she's a good sport. LOL We are going to Tennessee, via Paducah, to see my parents in Clarksville, and to go to the quilt show in Nashville. She will be a high school senior this year and I figure my opportunities such as this are numbered. Actually, I was surprised she wanted to go but I am not about to question it. I've promised her shopping in Nashville while we are there to make up for dragging her through quilt shops and the quilt show. :o))

SO......I guess if I want to go on vacation, I better head to the studio and get going on that quilt.

piecin' love,

Happy Belated Independence Day!

2007-07-05T18:29:00.000-07:00

Hi! I hope everyone had a great 4th of July. Even though it fell in the middle of the week. Don't you hate that? It just goofs everything up. I kept thinking it was Saturday.
We had a picnic in our backyard. Hubby's family came, along with several good friends. We grilled out, played horseshoes, shot off some fireworks after it got dark. Fun was had by all.

Today Mark had a deck to paint so he got up and went off to work and I started on the party cleanup that didn't get done last nite. It was mostly just clutter and a few dishes, and I should have been working in the studio, but I hated the thought of leaving the cleanup till the end of the day because I knew I wouldn't want to deal with it. One of the pitfalls of being self-employed AND working at HOME. Distractions are everywhere. Oh, well. So now it's done and I can relax for a bit. Go to bed early, get in a full day of quilting tomorrow.

Here's a picture of a quilt that I finished this past week.

The lady wanted "something circular". Right away, I thought of bullseyes. The quilting pattern was made with the circle attachment that came with my machine (a Proto Stitch Wizard). It took lots of time, and many starts and stops but I am really excited about how it came out. And Gerda, my client, LOVED it which made me very happy.

If you'd like to see the other pictures, including close-ups, click on the link to my Webshots in the menu on the left. The pictures are in the "Longarm 2007" Album.

That's it for today. Til' next time...

piecin' love,

Terri

Happy Monday, Bluebirds, and Prayer Request

2007-06-25T07:48:00.000-07:00

Another Monday morning. The cable guy came and went on Friday. Turns out he was up here from Missouri, on loan to the local company, and wasn't familiar with Wisconsin roads. Got my new DVR player, however we found out later that he messed something up when replacing the new with the old. (We had our satellite wired into our stereo system along with our DVD player.) Now the only way we can switch between TV and DVD player is to disconnect the cable and move it to the output we want to use. :o( Called the company and they are sending someone out on Wednesday to fix the problem. Sigh.

Here are a couple pictures of the bluebirds I mentioned in an earlier post. One of them was guarding the nest while the other went and found nesting materials.

The knothole is covered by leaves now and a robin has built her nest right above it.

We visited friends after church yesterday and they have a suet feeder hanging next to their deck. They have little downy woodpeckers that come right up to the deck and aren't afraid of humans at all. The daddy was coming for food and taking it to the baby who hung onto the tree trunk about 10 inches away but was afraid to come to the feeder. It was so neat to watch. I tried to take pictures with my cellphone but I kept messing it up.

Off to the studio now. Have lots of catching up to do.

Prayers would be appreciated for my FIL as he begins his chemotherapy!
Thanks in advance.

Hope everyone has a great day!
Piecin' Love, Terri

Waiting for the Cable Guy

2007-06-22T09:19:00.000-07:00

I'm sitting here waiting for the satellite man to come. I'm upgrading my satellite receiver to a DVR. This past Monday, hubby and I went to Milwaukee with his brother and wife for a Brewers baseball game and I was going to miss the season premier of "The Closer". I love that show! Lo and behold, Andy, hubby's brother, has a DVR receiver and was able to record it for me and then have his daughter put it on a DVD for me. "How cool is that?", I thought. So, I called DirectTV and, since I am such a "Great Customer", they are upgrading my system for free. Well, not so free, after all. I had to commit to keeping my dish subscription for two years. Since we live out in the country, otherwise known as "cable wasteland", there is no fear of not wanting satellite TV anytime soon. However, they said the guy would be here between 8 and noon. It is now 11:45 and where the heck is he?!? I have quilting to do! Didn't want to head for the studio because I am home alone with noone to hear him knock over the sound of the machine running.

Speaking of quilting, I am so seriously behind. Mark's parents were both diagnosed with colon cancer in the last month. We've been through three surgeries between the two of them and my father-in-law is about to start chemotherapy. Fortunately, I have loving, and very patient customers. If you are a customer and you are reading this, let me just say that you are wonderful and I so much appreciate your patience and understanding as I play "catch-up".

SO....thanks for "listening". It's 11:55 and I am heading for the studio. Guess my DVR will show up when it feels like it. Have a GREAT DAY!!!!!

Piecin' Love,

Terri

Happy Spring! Quilt! Quilt! Quilt!

2007-04-17T10:04:00.000-07:00

It's spring in Wisconsin and I have quilting fever. Now that taxes are done, I am ready to spend some time catching up on quilting while I listen to audiobooks and look out the windows at the bluebird couple who have found their way back to us for the third year in a row.
I hope everyone is having a great day!

Terri

Piecin' Love

2007-01-05T08:15:00.000-08:00

Just a quick introduction to begin.

My name is Terri and I own a longarm quilting business called Piecin' Love.
My website: www.piecinlove.com.
Photos of my work: http://community.webshots.com/user/terripetasek

I bought my longarm machine in January 2004. I made the plunge and went full-time into the quilting business in November 2004, leaving behind a high-paying but incredibly stressful job with a local paper mill. It has been a roller coaster ride ever since but I can honestly say it is the best (and scariest) thing I have ever done from a career standpoint!
I love quilting and I love all the neat people I meet in the course of my work. Quilters are truly wonderful people.

I grew up in Alabama. I met my husband while in the Air Force and we moved to Wisconsin in 1990 after both serving nine+ years with Uncle Sam. I have been married to Mark for 20 years. We have two wonderful kids, Matt (20) and Leslie (17).

My quilting studio is pet-free and smoke-free. I offer very affordable rates, as you will see on my website. More blogposts to come. For now, I wish you all a wonderful year in 2007!

piecin' love,
Terri