At Home

Quilts for the master's bed - so simple - so ME!

Guest bedroom - so simple - so ME - again!

Where do tracks go?

If tracks could take you anywhere in the world, where would that be? Just imagine!
Today, I would like to be somewhere cool. Nice and balmy, slightly overcast. Might that be San Francisco? Denver? Vancouver, BC? Orka Island. Do I need a ferry to get there? No, wait! Maine or Massachusetts or Long Island. That's it....Long Island!

Nope, back in sultry Louisiana I imagine I'll stay inside and sew the afternoon away. Or should I play some more in photoshop. Perhaps take a nap.....so many choices - just imagine!

Birdhouse Quilt....a continuing saga

Purchased this Kaffe Fassett fabric:


Auditioned Fabric with Birdhouses:



Made alternate blocks and sewed it all up:


I like this - now back to fabric shop for the final outer border, backing and binding fabric. I also have some applique work to do....perhaps! Another day and we'll continue with the birdhouse saga. I love it when you click each photo, then enlarge to get the best view of details (including loose threads).

Abstract Art Quilt - One of Many

Kit selected one of my art quilts as one of her favorite Flickr pics this week. "I quilt because I must" is a mantra I live by. Always fun to know that others enjoy "what I must do!"

"An Architect's Dream" available in my Etsy shop.

The Diva Quilts too! Jump over now and see her great works.

Happy Friday to ya!

Not a Peep out of Me!

My peeps haven't been very frequent lately. Not my fault!!! I've been a work-in-progress - getting myself back on some kind of schedule. It's taking a huge chunk out of my time!

I found this new texture yesterday and couldn't resist adding color. Not completed until I doodle sketched my little peeper. Have a delightful Thursday.

Work Place.....One and the Same!

Here is my winter sewing room!

And my summer sewing room!


Well....what prompted this outburst? I saw a picture today of a beautiful open patio. The owner of that patio declared the space as her summer work space!!! I've been suffering in 101 degree heat for the past few days - thus I brag about my winter and summer sewing rooms. Yes, they are different - one has nice heat! the other has cool air!

Time has been marching on!

Where did Monday and Tuesday go? Time, oh time, where art thou? Barely enough time this afternoon, but I did get to play in photoshop for a few minutes. (Right after I got back from the quilt fabric shop) I hope I bought enough fabric to finish a couple of projects. Of, course, pictures will be forthcoming!

Hugs.....Marty

A Joyous Sunday

A butterfly passed through today
And didn't make a sound
I heard its wings flutter and stood quietly watching
It was quite the quiet, joyous Sunday

Fresh as a Daisy!

Two hours and 14 bales of pine straw later, I got this picture of one of my hydrangea flowers. The stem had been broken so I knew it wouldn't last very long. So, I popped it under the shower....then I headed that way too. Much better now - both of us!

Asterick ***** Quilt WIP

Yep...it's a Work In Progress! I now have 21 asterick blocks completed and have another 15 or so in various stages of construction grace. I need a break! Astericks are all over the scrap page! Since I haven't decided what size this should be, I don't know how many more I need to make. I guess when the scraps begin to dwindle, that's where I'll stop!

The weeds are calling my name. Oh, you hear them too! I guess I do need some natural vitamin D to end my day. Hugs til next time.....Marty

Made a wrong turn? Just don't exit!

Wasn't sure how I was going to use the exit sign when I took this picture. But being the frugal (and imaginative) person that I am, I decided to use this photo in spite of its mundane-ness! As I was altering and adding layers, I decided this sign spoke volumes. Spoke what??

Exit - why? where will it take me? which direction? is this exit a mistake? how will I know? when will I know? will there be another sign?

Made a wrong turn? Okay...turn around...see the rainbow...smell the flowers....look the mistake in the eyes and laugh...just don't exit!

Butterfly Dines Out

I liked this butterfly straight out of the camera - I'm getting better with my new camera, but still couldn't resist embellishing it just a bit...I'm also learning to add text! Does love ever stop growing?



Happy morning to you too.....TTFN - Marty

I'm In Love and Full of Dreams.....

I'm in love again today. Well, let me clarify....I'm always in love with the HuMAN and my family and am always dreaming of good things for them. But today I'm in love with what I got in the mail while on vacation. Malka's fabric is so enticing...just had to have some. Stitch In Dye has fabric that is just to dye for. Now I'm dreaming of how to put all these lovelies into quilts.

And, love continues to grow....I'm also in love with Karen's Asterick Quilt. Check this out over at Karen's fun-and-full-of-good-ideas Selvage Blog.



And, so love grows. See ya!

Good to Go!

From okay to better-than-okay.....these flamingo's at the Birmingham Zoo were just too photogenic. These gals just needed a little color punch. "Good to Go" is another lesson from Susan Tuttle's Digital Expressions This lesson fine tuned my limited knowledge of using the magnetic lasso tool and deselecting an object (got that?) Boy, can I talk the talk, or what?

No, I'm not making any money off this endorsement of Susan's book. She's probably never heard of me nor ever read my blog. Very simply, when I find something good, I like to share!

Toodle loo til later....Marty

Here's looking at you....Kid!

Digital Expressions

I finally got my hands on Susan Tuttle's book Digital Expressions. It's all about creating digital art with Adobe Photoshop Elements.

Here's one learning experience - I took this picture of a wooden box while on the Natchitoches Tour of Homes last fall. It was the perfect practice photo.




Susan's instructions made it easy - select the focal point of a photo, feather edge the selection, add fill layer and blend edges with the background. Okay....perhaps you knew how to do this!! It seems so simple NOW...I like a book with clear step-by-step instructions. I wouldn't do this type altering enough to remember how to do it, so it is nice to now have the know-how right at my finger tips. So far, so good! I'll be back with the next lesson -

I Heart My Home

What else can I say....it feels so good to be home again and to sleep in my bed with my dear husband! Yes, yes, I have thoroughly enjoyed my last few weeks of travels, visiting with friends and family, making new friends and seeing new sites and sights, but home is always the BEST place to come back to. I'll have a good time getting back into my uneventful (yet perfect) routine. Life suits me just fine when nothing is happening and the only noises I hear are birds singing and my sewing machine humming!

When things get bad.....

Do I face things head on??


Or, just turn the other cheek!!!

I found this little jewel at the Birmingham zoo. Isn't she the cutie. She enjoyed looking at me while I was looking back at her.

Summer vacation time...going here, heading there. I'll be back home one day!

Bonjour Quebec

Great Falls in Quebec -
And same picture altered, layered, transformed! I loved all the church steeples that dotted the skyline. Couldn't resist adding one to the great falls picture. And can you see the writing in the piece of carved wood. Just another layer in addition to the church steeple. Yep....this is three photos layered one on top of the other.




Same layers...just blended using color burn mode (I think). There are so many possibilities - can't always remember what I did last! I'm always thinking of what to do next!



Salut Quebec! That means goodbye. Until we meet again, I'll remember your beauty with all my pictures.

Marty

What happens at home stays here!

As much as I do for them.....I provide food and water, shelter, a safe place to live and raise their families. It's a very loving, nurturing atmosphere and more. And what do they give me back??? No respect! They pooped on my nice, clean, white shirt! It had one little wine spot on it so I used my bleach pen and put it out in the sun to dry. Now just look at what I have to clean up! It will never be the same!



Did they think I wasn't working fast enough on the bird house quilt? I have another round put on all 12 blocks.....lots of polka dots. I think I'll tone this down with hot pink sashing! A friend helped me find a nice layout so I could use all 12 blocks. The pattern calls for 10 alternate block to fill in the holes.




Okay birds - fair warning - don't poop on my personal items again or you will be denied the pleasure of my company!

Hugs 'til later..... Marty

Cutie Pinwheels - A Giveaway!

Cutie Pinwheel is having a giveaway in celebration of her 200 blog followers - and the list is growing as I type!

Rae Ann will draw the winning number on Saturday, June 5....so go now to enter. What a delightful blog Rae Ann has. Who wouldn't want to get a glimpse of all her cuties!

I'm A Lucky Girl!

I am so lucky - can get up early and visit my sewing room, my computer, my camera, my printer without interruption for an hour or so.

But even before I visit my space, I head outside to feed the cats that adopted us. I had such a surprise this morning from the big yellow cat. He missed me so much last week that he brought me a treat to welcome me home. Yes, you guessed it - he snared a rat just for me! And he left my gift just outside the backdoor. After a huge yikes...my heart filled joy. A rat! Just for me! Thanks, Yellow Cat - you are the greatest!

(No picture of dead rat - but I think you get the picture.)

And when HuMan does join me, it is always with a hug and a kiss. Perfect way to start the day - gifts first, then hugs and kisses! I love that the whole family makes me feel like a lucky girl!

AccuQuilt GO Cutter Giveaway!

Don't you just love a giveaway.....well, I do too. And so does Bejeweled Quilts by Barb. Barb wants to give one of us that wonderful AccuQuilt fabric cutter.

To see how it works, here's a link to the AccuQuilt website.

If you want chances to win, skip on over to Bejeweled Quilts now.

And, to have even more chances to win, be sure to mention that you saw it here - Marty's Fiber Musings! This is important, so don't forget to tell Barb that Marty sent you!

I really want to win, but I'll be happy if you win it 'cause I know you'll cut some fabric for me. I promise I'll return the favor! Good luck.

When Life Becomes A Blur.......

Just step back, take a picture and don't forget to breathe -

While in Quebec, we took a tour bus to the Isle of Orleans. To say the tour around part of the island was very fast is an understatement! I did manage to get a few pictures from the bus window. This turned out to be one of my favorites...love the blur of the trees which reminds me of what's going on in my life lately. I've been getting projects finished - but where are the pictures???? What I haven't been doing is beginning to bother me though - haven't started (or finished) a knit project lately, no new purses have left the sewing machine, no art quilts hanging from the design wall! Yikes - I'm going into withdrawal mode!