FREE Tracee’s Project Quilting Patterns – click here.

Quilt #2 will be delivered to Little Tee tonight. I finished the binding last week.

Quilt #3 was a sew as you go project and I’m loving it. Meet Quilt #3 Receiver: Bob (Bo)

I met Bo in the fall of 1995. We were both freshmen at Iowa State University and lived in the same dorm building. His name is Bob, but ever since the first time I met him, it didn’t fit for me, so I decided to call him Bo. Bob, I mean, Bob Newhart, Bob Costas – Bo, like bow and arrow or Bo Duke from Duke’s of Hazzard, way more fitting to me.

Bo always had my back in the days of Iowa State. He restored my faith in young men. He was kind, focused, driven, thoughtful, not like all the other boys I met. Most of them were concerned with what party they were going to attend over the weekend. Bo and I went to a few Frat parties and we always left saying to each other, “lame.” We’d go to these parties with our “dorm friends” and it would usually be him and I that left together; we’d end up at a coffee house before walking back to the dorms.

While making Bo’s quilt, so many memories started flooding back. Memories that I will treasure for the rest of my life.

I took an Art 101 class in drawing. My professor pulled me aside mid semester to tell me that she didn’t understand what I was doing in the Art Department. She continued to tell me that I had no skill for perspective, that I was to draw EXACTLY what I saw and I was incapable of doing that. “You really should think about changing majors, you are NOT an artist.”

I was devastated and I ran to Bo. Poor Bo probably saw me crying more than laughing. The transition from high school to college was a tough one and I wouldn’t have made it if I hadn’t met a handful of people, and Bo was one of them. I remembered this conversation this weekend because while making Bo’s quilt I felt a sense of creativity that I had once felt when I was younger. I was being an artist and I loved every second of the freedom that was running through me.

Tracee bawling: “Bo, you’re never going to believe what my prof said to me!”

Bo: “Tracee, are you OK? What did she say this time!?”

Then I told him.

His kind response. “Tracee, you’re a free spirit and you draw in your own perspective, not in someone else’s, why on earth would you want to do that! You’re one of the most creative people I’ve ever met. I’m not sure why this woman has sought after you, but you can’t let her get to you. Make art the way you want to make art, that is utimately what makes you an artist.”

And I did just that, never letting this woman see how badly she devastated me. I ended up with a C in that class and a ton of drawings that were drawn in my perspective.

I haven’t seen Bo in years, but he will always remain a close friend of mine, regardless of the distance between us.

Bo currently lives in Paris, France with his wife, Sarah and their newborn son, Henry. He is an architect and urban designer.

Here’s his quilt top…

I started quilting it this week. Although it was a tough start because I’m quilting it on my home machine, I’m making progress.

This is the last time I saw Bo – 1999.

For daily updates visit dailydog.typepad.com

Till next week! Have a great weekend.

FREE Tracee’s Project Quilting Patterns – click here.

I usually blog on Thursdays, but I’m so excited that I just can’t help myself. I gave Dorothy her quilt!

Dorothy was just getting home while we were walking over to her house. She could hardly wait to get out of the car, “John, is that Tracee?” I could hear her even though she was in the car. (John is her son-in-law) She almost fell out of the car, then dropped her oranges, and then got caught up in the seat belt.

“Are you coming over to show me that quilt?” she asks, all giddy like a kid.

“Actually Dorothy, this is your quilt. I’m coming over to give it to you.”

“Oh my heavens, really?”

We go inside and she unfolds it and it turns out she loves purple too!

On the Little Tee front, quilting is done and binding is sewn on and I’m currently hand stitching it at night while my husband and I catch up on White Collar, our new favorite TV show.

I worked an extra hour every day last week to be able to longarm quilt it Friday afternoon while Sherri was there. Think I’m going to go out today and pick up some walkie talkies, as the longarm machine is on the opposite end of where we work. “Over and out Share Bear, what did you just tell me 5 seconds ago?” So much quicker than running down the hallway, SHOOT SHERRI, what did I do wrong!?

Sherri is an AMAZING quilter and beautiful person. Funny too! I always say, I want to be just like here when I grow up. She suggested the waves on this quilt, to compliment the horizontal pattern, I love it.

Here’s the back.

When I first starting quilting this quilt, Karen was in the studio with me watching. Something seemed WAY wrong, so I went underneath the longarm and saw this. “CRIME.” I said. Karen in her sweet calming voice said, “Do I need to go get Sherri? I’m gonna go get Sherri.” The tension was wrong. SO many things to remember.

Quilt #3 top is done and I will be quilting it on my own machine this week. I’ll blog about it next week. Thanks for all the comments and support, it’s an energy charge knowing I have so many people supporting me in the adventure!

Again if you want daily updates feel free to come over to my personal blog…

dailydog.typepad.com

FREE Tracee’s Project Quilting Patterns – click here.

Little Tee came into our lives 4 or 5 years ago. I honestly can’t remember, I feel like I’ve known her her whole life. With Little Tee also came another joy, her little sister, Maggs. Their dad married my husband Ryan’s sister and we added two more nieces to our large list of nieces and nephews, 18 total (19 is due in April).

Ryan says Little Tee and I are made out of the same mold. I agree with him, but there are a few differences; she has blond hair and blue eyes and can do a triple round off something or other. As for me, brown hair and brown eyes and I’ll be darned if I can even do a cartwheel.

(That’s Little Tee trying to straighten out my hair – it was quite the process.)

She has made my list, not because she is more important than our other nieces or nephews, but because she reminds me so much of myself. Like me, Little Tee wears her heart on her sleeve and never fears heartache. Like all of us that show too much of ourselves, we don’t fear heartache, we loathe it.

Little Tee calls me Aunt Tee and is as loving as the day is long. Most days I receive some sort of message from her telling me she misses me or how much she loves me. My response is usually the same; I miss you more, I love you more.

She lives with her family in Colorado as well. When we go up there to see them, she is always the first one running out of the house yelling, “Aunt Tee is here! Aunt Tee is here!” And always the first one to give me a hug. Maggs is never far behind, but she is usually climbing a tree, riding her bike, or trying to keep up with her big brother on a skateboard. Maggs is an all around tomboy, that is what she and I have in common. I was always trying to keep up with the boys, still am.

Little Tee is an artist who is always conjuring up ideas in her head. Very creative ideas at that. I remember when I was her age. Creativity in middle school wasn’t often encouraged. It was cooler to be like the crowd than different. It wasn’t until I got to high school that I realized my true passion, my love of the arts. Every time I see her, I encourage her to draw me something or make me something, and she does. I proudly display her work in my cubicle.

She also has recently decided to start playing the cello, the instrument I played for years. Ryan says she chose the cello because of me. I say she chose it because it’s the best instrument EVER!

I have a goal set that everyone of our nieces and nephews will get a twin size quilt from me before they go to college. I also plan on making them all a queen size wedding ring quilt, but hopefully I have some time on that one! Probably will start that project next year, but this year my goal is to spread my love of quilting to people in my life that might not really know much about it.

The quilt I chose to make for Little Tee is Baubles and Beads, by Susan Guzman. The pattern will be available for download in the next couple of weeks. It will be featured in our FREE ebook. The pattern will be posted here when it’s available.

These are the fabrics I decided to use.

I cut all my fabric, then sewed together my blocks.

I then sewed my rows together, using my design wall.

A couple days later…

And last night, I finished the top. Will start quilting it tomorrow.

Dorothy’s quilt is in its final stages of hand stitching the binding. I’ll be blogging on McCall’s site every Thursday, but I blog daily on my own site. Feel free to come on over for more detailed stories.

http://dailydog.typepad.com

I’ll make sure next Thursday to post pictures of Dorothy getting her quilt, and the progress of Little Tee’s Quilt. Have a great weekend everyone!