TruffleQueen

More of my Hand-dyed fabrics!

2009-11-05T22:34:00.005-06:00

Hi All!

Ok - these are the last three photos of the hand-dyed fabric! UNTIL my bee meets again in December and I have more to show you!

The first is of a piece of "rust" parfait! No joke! I shoved a piece of white fabic (1/4 yd) in a clear plastic glass and squirted in some dye that I had mixed into a rust! This is what I got.... I don't think I'll do it again - or maybe it needs to be "over dyed" at our next meeting! Ding - now there's an idea! See - too much white!

Now this is a little "iffy"! It's a 6-step gradation of bue and red! You start with 6 baggies - white fabric in each bag. You add blue to #1 and red to #6 - easy enough. In #2 you add 5 parts blue and 1 part red - OK. Bag #3 you add 4 parts blue and 2 parts red - got it! Bag #4 you add 4 parts red and 2 parts red - got that too! Bag #5 you add 5 parts red and 1 part blue. Done! Well - those are generalizations - but you get the idea. It was our first "shot" at this "adventure" - and it's OK - but a little "iffy"!! lol Here goes!

Last but not least - these are the fabrics I got from the "left over" dyes! No recipe here - just add a squirt of this and that to the baggies! What fun! One thing about dyeing - don't PLAN on a really specific color - for sure you'll go crazy or be very disappointed! Just be thrilled with what you get! Yummy!

Well, friends, it's a little late for TRUFFLES - but what the heck! Most of you won't read this until morning - and it's never too early or too late for a truffle!

TTFN - Elaine

Hand-Dyed Fabrics - delicious!!

2009-11-04T14:51:00.007-06:00

Hi All!

Well - it only took me two hours to get the pictures uploaded, etc - but I am determined to do this everyday so it will be AUTOMATIC before long! Give me strength!! To think that I used "word" BEFORE there was even a manual! No joke! I worked at Argonne National Lab and someone (an engineer) got hold of this "new" word processor program and brought it to me! Lucky me! Absolutely no manual or instructions! That was in 1979 - so, I'm not new to computers but this photo stuff is making me NUTS! lol Maybe I'll have Mr. Truffle write me a new program! Now there's a thought! But how do I explain what I want/need and not end up with a guided missle system!! lol

Anyhoooo - here are some photos of the fabrics my 2Dye4 Bee has worked on! We each used fat quarters or fat eights and just dyed away! We've only met twice and already have YARDS of fabric to add to our stashes! lol

The first time we met we did 6-step gradations (the pink and green). We also made pieces of this and that (those will be in another post so I have something to talk about! lol) and, considering that they were from leftover paint - they, too, turned out beautifully!

The 28-color pyramid is the result of our second meeting! Aren't they DELICIOUS?

The blue and yellow diagonal stripe pieces below are the result of folding a piece of fabric on the bias accordian-style, rolling it up and dipping one end in yellow and one end in blue! Where the two "met" I got a little strip of green! Surprise! One piece is bright because I used the dye full-strength. I still had a little dye left and one more piece of fabric so I added water and did the procedure again! Got the same result - just a few shades lighter! Now what to do with the fabric?! I doubt that I'll be making myself a little triangular "tube" top! Maybe back in the early 70's - those days are long gone!

Well - Mr. Truffle is back in his lair - so now I think I'll go sew for an hour or sew! I have more bee projects calling out to me! OH - more ideas for blogs! Forget the sewing, it's........

.......Time for a truffle, feet up, cup of tea, and work on a cross-word puzzle! See ya!

Quilts of Valor Sew-In

2009-11-03T20:28:00.005-06:00

I DID IT - I GOT THE PHOTOS IN!! LOOK OUT WORLD!!

Whew - you can't imagine how nervous I am to be working with entering photos on my blog page! All by myself! Mr. Truffle (I don't think he'd appreciate being called Mr. Queen!) - is downstairs in his computer lair! I'm not so sure he'd be a lot of help with BLOG stuff - he's a retired rocket scientist/nuclear physicist - and I don't think this is in his genre! lol

This morning I spent about three hours helping with the Quilts of Valor. Actually I sorted fabric, pressed squares, and cut more squares! I didn't schlep my machine today because I could only stay a few hours. This group is unbelieveable - they are making 80 quilts for all the men and women who will be serving in the Mid-East from the Aurora, IL National Guard Unit. In the past I worked on quilts for QOV but they were for those who have been wounded and are recovering. I'm happy to help out - whatever the cause!

It was supposed to pour today - and, as usual, we had bright, beautiful sunshine! Go figure! Do these weatherpeople get paid? I remember as a kid they got the forecast correct without all the computer doplar....! Call it Mother Nature - what we get is what we get! Now I don't mean we've had lots of bright, beautiful sunshine here - that's not the usual for the past several weeks! The farmers are really suffering because they can't get the corn and/or beans out of the fields. The corn needs to be at about 15% and it's at 40% (humidity in the kernels) - that's farm talk I hear from our friends! Looks like they may have to wait until spring to harvest. Not good.

The photos are of the super-giving organizer and a worker bee! Thank you ladies! Job well done!

Well - time for a truffle! Maybe tomorrow I'll take some photos of the hand-dyed fabric I've been working on with my 2Dye4 Bee! I have to be careful when I tell people we're working on a project in "my dyeing bee"! They get a little nervous! lol

Japanese wall hanging - gorgeous!!

2009-11-02T12:34:00.005-06:00

Hi All!

Good friend Jane of janesfabrics is here helping me with learning to insert photos on my blog! Good luck! I chose the wall hanging made by my friend Linda as my first photo! Linda and I worked on selecting fabrics from my scraps for the kimonos and then she purchased the background, sashing, and borders from a quilt shop in Stoughton, WI. I just finished the quilting so her daughter-in-law (who was born in Japan) can FINALLY hang the "work of art" in her bedroom - which is dark purple! Isn't this beautiful! I'm sure Diana will LOVE it!

This close-up shows the detail of the 3-dimensional obi sash and collar which is hand appliqued! The pattern was from a quilt book about origami. Linda has reason to be very proud of the final result! Gorgeous!

Now, go eat a truffle while you rake leaves!

Do you NEED it, or do you WANT it?

2009-07-29T16:21:00.002-05:00

What kind of a question is that - especially when it concerns fabric!? Well friends - Jane (of the world famous Jane's Fabrics) and I ventured to Chicago today to TROY Fabrics - and there were many NEED vs. WANT moments - followed by "oh, what the heck!" lol Of course we didn't come home empty-handed! What would be the fun in that - not to mention - why waste the gas?!

So now I'm totally set for the signature block swap, and fabric to finish up a "hanky panky" 30's quilt I made all the blocks for while in Florida last winter, etc. etc! Maybe some of those +50 unfinished quilt projects will see the light of day! Fat chance! lol

I've finally decided that I need to take all my blue and yellow fabric to EVERY workshop I take! If I make one block and decide it "isn't me" or is "too much work" or whatever - at least I'll have one block for a sampler quilt! Too bad I just decided in the past couple of months and not in the past 10 years!! All of these Guild workshops (1 per month) are wonderful - but, oh my, talk about UFOs!

Jane and I are making our reservations for the AQS show in Des Moines - will we see any of you there? Just yell out "hey, is the Truffle Queen here?" I'm sure you'll get a response, but it may not be the one you were expecting! lol

That's all for now - time to think about what kind of pizza to order for supper! My oh my - it's been such an exhausting day - making so many decisions!

TTFN - Elaine

Is Christmas REALLY just around the corner?

2009-07-23T08:18:00.002-05:00

Hi All!

Is Christmas REALLY just around the corner? It sure seems like summer! My husband is out picking red raspberries every day (about 2-3 quarts a day!) in our yard - so, it MUST be July! If you check out some of the stores, you would think we only had a week of shopping left before Dec. 25th! On Tuesday I spent the day making ornaments with my quilt guild to sell at their show next October! Guess that's what REALLY started all of this! lol

This weekend I'm going to attend an Amish Quilt Auction in Wisconsin! I'm going with friends and when I asked where it was I was told - I don't know the name of the town - I only know what back roads to take! So, I believe it's within an hour of Stoughton - maybe over near Monroe? I'll let you know what it was like next week! I do know the women piece and quilt for an entire year and then hold their auction and start all over again!

Our OD bought a house in a small town 20 miles from here and we've been helping her get settled. She's also a piecer and already has one quilt hung on the living room wall and several others "strewn" about! She'll be 28 next week, still single, and has already purchased a house! Good for her!

Well, it's time to "get something done" (I can hear my mother's voice when I type those words!) around here! We're going to recarpet all of the bedrooms and our loft which means I have lots of fabric to put in bins, books to box up, etc, etc. A good time to sort out and get rid of? Not MY stuff! lol

TTFN - Elaine

What's YOUR color?

2009-06-26T07:29:00.002-05:00

This past Tuesday I attended my guild (Prairie Star Quilter's Guild - www.prairiestar.net) meeting and the speaker was Sharon Schamber. She was the Best of Show at Paducah - back to back! Her quilts are UNBELIEVEABLE! Her machine quilting is beyond words! I got to "hold up" the quilts during her trunk show - I'm still salivating! She also has the "gift" of seeing colors (aura) surrounding people! I'm PINK but have some yellow stopping the constant flow of pink...I'm not sure I got that, but it was fun!

Her website www.sharonschamber.com has a section for "free information" - go and check it out! Here's one tip that I'm going to try! She always washes all her fabric BEFORE cutting and piecing - BUT she only air dries the background fabric so that the non-background (which is dried in a hot dryer) stands out because after piecing, she throws the top in the washer and dryer. It pulls the stitches under! Her machine applique looks like hand applique because of this trick! Just a small applique piece will do to see if you like this method! She also uses a "paper" on her applique pieces that disolves in water. Must be made of sugar - lol!! That way you don't have to cut the back and pull out the paper! Hmmmm!

Well - today is a big day at our house! Our OD is closing on her house! Yes, she's not quite 28 and is buying a house all by herself! She's so excited and we're so happy for her! She'll live about a mile or less from Tammy Tadd's shop! Now THAT could be dangerous!

Guess I should see about pulling that pork we're going to serve the moving "helpers"! We may need some cookies, brownies, and cake to go along with that?! No time for truffles!

Enjoy the day - and don't forget to take time to smell the roses!

TTFN - Elaine

How full is YOUR quilt "plate"?

2009-06-06T07:48:00.003-05:00

Hi All!

Do you ever wonder why you put more on your plate than you can eat? Why sure! Do you ever leave a little food on your plate? Why sure! Now, if that "plate" becomes quilt-related items - have you ever put too many QUILT-related items on your "plate"? Absolutely! And what fun! This past week Jane and I worked on our Halloween swap "wonky houses" - ah, the joy of it all! Did I even think about the 50+ quilt UFOs crying out to me - absolutely not! To add to the "quilt pot" a friend delivered over 500 quilt books for me to sort, alphabetize, and get ready to donate to my guild's lending library! Talk about quilt book heaven! Talk about heavy! UFOs are still crying! lol

Well friends, it's time to close! I have to get ready to visit Jane's husband - our friendly dentist!

Take care - have a wonderful weekend! Remember to take time to smell the roses or the coffee! You might want to eat a few truffles, too!

Ain't It Good to Be Back Home Again!

2009-05-28T16:34:00.003-05:00

Hi All!

Due to problems with my blog AND my blog mentor, Jane, being 1300 miles away, I haven't been able to add a new message all these months! Well, my husband and I are back in Illinois until after Christmas, so the blog "world" is looking up! Jane and I met for breakfast yesterday and then did a little fabric shopping and THEN wandered over to my house and got my blog back in business! YES! BTW - Jane is the famous blogger "janesfabrics.com"!

Last week was a hefty quilting week! On Monday morning I attended one of my quilt bees, Monday evening I attended my guild's (Prairie Star) annual banquet with Kaye England as speaker, on Tuesday and Wednesday I took all-day classes from Kaye! Whew! This week I hosted another one of my bees - it's a Swedish bee and everyone is "part" Swedish - we lean towards blue and yellow! lol It's soooo good to be home with ALL my fabric and books AND unfinished projects! About those unfinished quilting projects - I stopped counting after 50+! I thought I should make myself finish one UFO before I allow myself to start a new project - will I live that long? Guess I need to prioritize that list!

Another gray day in Illinois - I'm sure missing the Florida sunshine - not the heat - just the sun! Guess I should see about supper! Tomorrow is going to be another quilting day! Jane is coming over so we can work on some blocks we're designing! Isn't it grand how quilting can literally take over your life - not to mention your house! Good thing it's legal!

Thank you for your patience regarding my blog! Jane is going to teach me how to add photos to the blog - now this should be good! lol

TTFN (tah tah for now) Elaine

PS - It's also wonderful to be back home with our two daughters, family and friends - quilting and other!

Greetings from COOL and BREEZY Florida!

2009-01-20T13:46:00.003-06:00

Greetings from cool and breezy Florida!

Hey - I shouldn't even mention it! At least I'm not digging through snow or FREEZING at our home in Illinois! In a couple of months I'll be moaning about how hot and steamy it is! Guess I should make more of those truffles while it's still cool! Nothing in the world like chocolate melting all over your hands!

I had great expectations of starting to work on a quilt top today! Fat chance! I've been glued to the TV watching the inauguration events. Now it's the start of the parade. Talk about a never-ending day! Maybe tomorrow I'll start that top! Maybe if I go FEEL my stash I'll start to cut out those squares and watch the TV at the same time! Now THERE's a plan! But FIRST I have to drag myself away from this computer! One thing for sure - it's way too cool and breezy to take a spin around the neighborhood in the golf cart - even with the lovely plastic sides down! lol

So, my friends, new and old, I leave you with this - thank heavens for the invention of central heat and in-door plumbing!

TTFN (for those in the dark [and I don't mean chocolate] - tah-tah for now)

Elaine the Truffle Queen

2009-01-19T06:55:00.000-06:00

My of my! I can't figure out how to read your comments - but I'll send you a new "edition" anyway!

Sunny Florida isn't so sunny at the moment! BUT it's almost 60 degrees, so I won't complain! I got a little "pink" on my face yesterday while I acted as the official scorekeeper at the very local corn bag toss tournament of the Old Guys (and Gals) Rule League! My official scoreboard - a yard stick and two spring-type clothes pins! Ah Florida!

My husband and I got a new toy yesterday! A golf cart! From now on (unless we leave the "park") we'll be walking, riding our bikes OR cruising in our golf cart! It's so much fun! Guess it doesn't take much to make this gal smile!

Last night, while watching the second football game of the day, I realized that our OD will fly into Tampa at 2:10 PM on February 1. Ring any bells? That's the day of the Super Bowl in Tampa! Are you kidding me? I think we'll go EARLY, hang out at the airport for a LONG time, and, hopefully, the traffic will be headed the opposite direction when we leave? UGH! It might be worth it to change the flight to Orlando!? Oh well - it'll be great to see her anyway she gets here!

As for piecing? I've been to one shop so far. I did see on the internet that there's a quilt show in Florida almost every weekend! This weekend coming up is Orlando - maybe I'll get a group of ladies together and we'll get soooooo inspired! Of course, then the OD comes to town and there goes the piecing time! Maybe since today is "murky dizmal" I'll get out the fabric and tools and set up my machine! I'm feeling inspired! Better get away from this computer before the inspiration leaves me!

Hope this finds everyone happy and healthy!

Piece - Elaine, the Truffle Queen

2009-01-15T11:50:00.000-06:00

Hi From the Truffle Queen!

What's with THAT name? I make Chocolate-Raspberry Truffles by the hundreds - much to the delight of family and friends!

Actually I should be the Piece Queen - because I love to piece quilt tops - and having someone else do the quilting!

I've been Jane's friend, Elaine no blog, for a few months and today was THE day - by way of cell phone we created by blog! YEAH! Jane is actually at home in northern Illinois freezing her ears off and I'm in Florida (for Jan-Apr) doing my best to stay warm! The native Floridians are all bundled up because it's in the 60's! My husband and I are thinking it isn't so bad!

Well - off and running. NOT running - walking - actually driving to our old place to rake TONS of pine needles and Live Oak leaves! Ugh. Our new place only has palm trees that don't "shed"!

Take care - I look forward to hearing from some of Jane's friends! lol

Elaine - the Truffle Queen