Dorothy, Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

Animals are such agreeable friends — they ask no questions, they pass no criticisms. –George Eliot

Dorothy is Elmo's pet goldfish and friend. She's six years old {in goldfish years}, is inquisitive and has a great imagination.

Don't look too closely. I've been working Grace too hard. I'll be sending her off for a week at the spa soon to have her tension problems all worked out.

You may or may not have noticed that my quilt layout has changed ever so slightly since I decided to add more blocks. Like the subjects of the portraits in Hogwarts castle, the characters have moved to different spots. Before I even posted the first block in the quilt, I'd e-mailed Michelle {the pattern designer} to ask her if she had a Mr. Snuffleupagus pattern. She e-mailed back telling me she had Snuffy ready to go, as well as several others that had not yet been posted at Fandom in Stitches. She also mentioned plans for some of the side-kick characters, like Oscar's pet worm Slimey and Elmo's goldfish Dorothy. The thought of putting them in the corners of the border passed through my mind, but at the time I was racing to a deadline to finish the quilt in time for the quilt shows.

When several new patterns were released at the end of May and I decided to make a bigger quilt, which mean absolutely no chance of finishing in time for quilt shows this year, I asked Michelle to send me everything she had ready for testing, which included Slimey and Dorothy. Slimey was so adorable I couldn't not make him. I thought about putting him on the back of the quilt with the label, but he was just too cute to go on the back of the quilt. So I revisited the idea of putting the side-kicks in the corners. I verified with Michelle which other side-kicks were in the works, moved the corresponding character to the corners of the quilt and voilà, another change to the plan. What can I say? It's my quilt and I can change it if I want to.

Pattern by Michelle Thompson
Piece Count: 51
Block Size: 4"
Fabrics:
Moda Marbles: California Orange, Flag Red, Aqua, Wheat
Kona Cotton: Snow & Black

Slimey, Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

Slimey to the moon, he wants to wriggle 'mongst the stars.
Let him crawl through mud and muck on jupiter or mars.
To others worlds, let him fly.
To other worlds, send him winging.
Slimey to the Moon, and when this worm arrives you'll find
He'll take a leap that's small for him but huge for all worm-kind.
To other worlds he will soar, to other worlds
and then home to us once more.
–Tony Bennett, Slimey to the Moon

Slimey is Oscar's pet worm. They met one rainy day at the park, when Slimey crawled onto Oscar's shoulder and fell asleep. Oscar took him home and they've been friends ever since. Slimey sings, performs tricks, drives a worm racecar and was the first worm on the moon.

Slimey is performed by Martin P. Robinson and originally was a silent character. He communicated through gestures and squeaks. Recently he has developed a voice, provided by Dick Maitland, which is digitally altered to a high pitch.

More Small Slimey Facts:
Pet of: Oscar the Grouch
Parents: Dusty and Eartha
Sibiligs: baby sister, Sloppy
Cousins: Squirmy and Rachel
Pet: A bug named Dirty
Likes: Listening to Trash Gordon stories at bedtime, playing in mud puddles

Pattern by Michelle Thompson
Piece Count: 81
Block Size: 4"
Fabrics:
Moda Marbles: California Orange, Dandelion, Key West Purple
Kona Cotton: Snow & Black

Prairie Dawn, Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

The Sesame Street Little Theater takes pride in presenting . . .
–Pageant director, Prairie Dawn

Prairie Dawn loves to write, direct and accompany pageants for her friends to act in. She wants to work in broadcasting or journalism. In addition to her pageants, she has hosted several segments, worked as a correspondent for the Monster News Network, participated in a number of Guy Smiley's game shows and tried her hand at directing. Unfortunately she had a bumpy start when, while directing Elmopalooza, she and the rest of the crew were trapped in a dressing room for most of the show.

Prairie Dawn has been a member of the Sesame Street cast since 1971. She is based on the Hot Pink Little Anything Muppet, which is collective term for an “empty” Muppet head, to which facial features and costumes may be added. The Little Anything Muppets {which are smaller than the green or purple Anything Muppets} are used for small animals and children. Like most of the other Sesame Street characters, she has gone through several changes through the years. She is voiced by Fran Brill, who says she enjoys playing a character that is a little bit older than the typical Sesame Street resident.

More Level-Headed Prairie Dawn Facts:
Age: 7
Birthday: August 3
Favorite expression: “Places, everyone! Places!”
Best Friends: Grover and Herry Monster
Favorite Color: Robin's Egg Blue
Likes: Writing school pageants, playing the piano
Dislikes: Cookie Monster eating the letter of the day

Pattern by Michelle Thompson
Piece Count: 143
Block Size: 10"
Fabrics:
Moda Marbles: Sherbet, Wheat, Jungle Lavender, Bright Blue, Cardinal & Bubblegum Pink
Kona Cotton: Snow & Black

I Must Ask . . . How Often Do You Go Grocery Shopping?

My kids always perceived the bathroom as a place where you wait it out until all the groceries are unloaded from the car.
–Erma Bombeck

I've finally sorted out what I'm going to do about the layout and new patterns and my Sesame Street quilt. Thanks to everyone who voted for their favorite layout. As you can see, layout 2 won. But I told you that I was asking which layout you all liked best to help me decide what I really wanted and that I might not go with the majority vote. I've already announced it, but just for the record, I'm going with layout 3. The patterns are so much fun to put together and I love working with the bright Moda Marbles fabrics. Prairie Dawn is next!

When I first started pondering expanding my quilt layout to accommodate several recently released blocks, as well as some that were already available but that I'd omitted, P. asked me what I would do if even more patterns are released. My answer to that is the same answer I gave in regards to my Twilight quilt when someone asked me what I'd do if Stephenie Meyer wrote more books: .

Now that I've talked that one to death, I'm jumping back to a one-off of the question I asked two weeks ago, which was, how often do you cook? Today, we're talking about grocery shopping. Going to the grocery store is kind of a big chore. I used to love it, but it's not much fun anymore. Nevertheless, we all like to eat, so I go once a week and that works best for me. When I wasn't working I would go mid-week, but it easier to fit it in Saturdays now and the upswing to that is if I don't feel like cooking on a Saturday, I can grab a rotisserie chicken from the deli on my way out.

I plan my meals ahead of time and shopping once a week allows me to get the fresh ingredients for what's on the menu that week and keeps us from running out of really important things like milk, frozen waffles and Oreos. I keep a little magentized notepad and pencil on my fridge and as we use things up or people have special requests, we write what we need on the list. At the end of the week, I plan my menu, check inventory to make sure that we're not running low on things we use a lot and then I transfer the hand-written grocery list to my swanky new spreadsheet, which is divided by departments and aisles in the order that I shop them. It took a little bit of doing to get it set up, but now that it is done, it saves a ton of time at the store, because I know everything I'm looking for on each aisle and I don't miss anything and have to back-track to find it. Love it!

How about you? I must ask . . . how often do you grocery shop? Do you have any time or money saving strategies? A favorite clerk? A great grocery shopping story? Vote in the poll and leave a comment. I can't wait to hear!

Zoe, Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

Slap on a happy grin! And spread sunshine all over the place, just put on a happy face! –Put On A Happy Face, music by Charles Strouse, lyrics by Lee Adams

Zoe, who is Elmo's best friend, is bursting with energy, imagination and sparkle. She has a pet rock, named Rocco loves to ride around Sesame Street in her Zoemoblie and can be seen sporting barrettes in her hair. She's a spunky monster who's not afraid to jump in and get her tutu dirty.

Zoe has been adding pizzaz to Sesame Street since 2003. Her orange fur was chosen to compliment Elmo's as he was gaining popularity at the time and the creators wanted a female character to be his friend. Zoe is performed by Fran Brill, who, out of several possibilities, chose the character sketch that looked like Carol Channing. Another cast member suggested they call the character Frannie, but Fran didn't want a character named after her, so she went with Zoe because of the J.D. Salinger book Frannie and Zooey.

More Sparkly Zoe Facts:
Age: 3
Birthday: September 30
Best Friend: Elmo
Favorite expression: “Don't joke me!”
Favorite song: “Jump (For My Love)”
Likes: Parades, ballet dancing and the letter Z
Dislikes: Sitting still and training wheels on her bike

And, in what should not be a surprise to anyone, I decided to go with the bigger layout that has room for more characters.

Pattern by Michelle Thompson
Piece Count: 168
Block Size: 10"
Fabrics:
Moda Marbles: Popsicle Orange, Fuschia, Bubblegum Pink, Cardinal, Flag Red, Passion Purple, Jungle Mint & Paper Bag
Kona Cotton: Snow & Black

I Must Ask . . . Can YOU Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

We women have a lot to learn about simplifying our lives. We have to decide what is important and then move along at a pace that is comfortable for us. We have to develop the maturity to stop trying to prove something. We have to learn to be content with what we are. –Marjorie Hinckley

Thank you to everyone who voted in last week's poll about how often you cook. I am a bit surprised and really impressed by how many of you cook most of the time! Do any of you have your favorite recipes on your blogs? I did a little makeover of my menu planning & grocery list procedure. I had scratches and scribblings of our favorite meals on slips of paper and keep a running grocery list and menu, but decided I wanted everything neat and tidy and in one place, so I put it all in a spreadsheet. I have quite a good collection of meals that we eat regularly, but it would be fun to rotate a few new things in, so if you have favorite recipes on your blogs, let me know. While I was at it, I organized a template for my grocery list by departments and aisles in the order I shop them. I'll write down the items that I need on my grocery list notepad as we run out of things during the week, and then before I go shopping I'll transfer the list to my spreadsheet, sorting everything into their area, and print the list out. Tonight was my trial run and it went really well and I think it saved time. Grocery shopping and meal planning are big chores, before the actual cooking begins, so, again, I'm super impressed by all you diligent chefs out there!

Today's subject has absolutely nothing to do with food. What is on my mind this week is the Sesame Street quilt. On Tuesday afternoon, there was a notice that the pattern designer had finished more characters. From that moment on, I was a little unsettled about how to proceed. In the layout I'd settled on, I'd opted to leave out several of the patterns that Michelle had released, choosing characters I remembered most from either my childhood or the days when the Little Bugs were little enough to watch. With this new wave of patterns, Michelle has designed quite a few more characters that are from my childhood, and I started wondering if I should expand my layout.

I hashed out the pros and cons to making the quilt bigger. In thinking things over in the last few days, the biggest “con” to changing the layout is that I will not have the quilt finished in time for the quilt shows this season. I started this quilt specifically with that goal in mind, and it made me a little bit panicky to not accomplish a goal that I'd publicly announced, although it wouldn't be the first time.

As it turns out, though, the biggest “pro” to expanding the layout also happens to be that I will not have the quilt finished in time for the quilt shows this season. That takes a huge amount of pressure off me. Trying to meet such a tight deadline it putting a lot of stress on me. If I didn't have work or kids or chores it would be a snap. I could crack out a block a day and be done in no time. But I have to balance, because all sewing and no work makes Lizzie a frazzled girl. {Sidebar: I am always wishing I had more time for sewing. I kind of took a break from reality last weekend and did nothing but sew. Not getting my weekend chores done has taken a toll. I think the beauty of having a hobby you love is that you value the time that you spend doing it more when you have to balance it out with real life.} I've come to the conclusion that whether I expand my layout or not, I'm not going to push myself harder than I should to get this quilt done in time for the quilt shows. If I miss one or two {or even all three} this year, then there is always next year. Running, flat out, to get it done at the expense of other important things, is just not worth it.

With that extra pressure out of the way, I'm still undecided. My motto is “Go Big or Go Home.” That doesn't mean that every project has to be brilliantly amazing or that I'm trying to out-do everyone. It just means that if doing something is worth my time, it is also worth doing right. And I guess I have to decide what “right” is for me in this situation. To do that, I probably have to figure out what the end game is for this quilt. When I decided to do this, I knew it would be a big attention grabber at the quilt shows, but that also means that the details have to be perfect {hence, the giving myself a break with the deadline; after the blocks, which are time-consuming but not too difficult, are done I can spend the time I need and want to do a really good quilting job instead of rushing through it to get it done}.

But after the shows, then what? I've considered several options, and would love to hear your opinion. I'm just spit-balling here, so kind and constructive comments are appreciated. The obvious answer is to keep it and hang it on display. It would definitely be a cheerful addition to the decor. Another idea I've been tossing around is donate it to The Children's Television Workshop/ Sesame Street people. I am not sure if I'd want them to keep it {i.e. display it} in their offices, or if I would suggest to them to sell/auction it off to raise money for their operations. I'd definitely want to check with Michelle to see how she felt about it first. And lastly, I've thought about selling it. Now, before you get your flaming pens out, I know this may not be an option. There are copyright issues and creative considerations involved here. Again, I would check with Michelle and if she agreed, I'd share the profit with her and possibly donate a portion of it to the CTW. The biggest question there is how do you put a price on it? And would anyone actually pay that sum? Secondary to that is if the amount made in the sale would be worth all the effort I've put into it.

Back to the most immediate dilemma; what to do about the layout. I'm kind of lost and I must ask . . . can YOU tell me how to get to Sesame Street? Whenever I can't decide what to do, I find that asking opinions helps me to figure out what I really want. For example, when I talked it over with Mr. Bug, he suggested that I finish the 12-block layout in time for the quilt shows and then make another quilt sometime in the future using the 20-block layout. My immediate reaction was NO WAY! This is a one-quilt wonder.

I've narrowed it down to three options, and I hope you'll help me out by voting for your favorite layout.

First up, is the Less-Is-More Layout 1. This is my original plan for the patterns, with the exception of Prairie Dawn, who is one of the new patterns. As soon as I saw she was available, I kicked Rosita out and Prairie Dawn took her spot. It finishes at 42” x 53”.

Option two is the Less-is-More Layout 2. In this version, both Telly Rosita didn't make the cut and Prairie Dawn and Kermit {who may or may not be available from a different designer; Michelle hasn't done a Kermit pattern} took those spots. It finishes at 42” x 53”.

And last, but not least, is the Go-big-or-go-home-everybody-gets-a-spot Layout 3, except, ironically, I'm going to have to choose between Guy Smiley and Barkley. It's a tough call, but I'm thinking that Guy is not going to make the cut {mostly because I'll be shopping for fabrics on the internet and it is really hard to choose two fabrics of the same color, but with the subtle variance in tone needed to carry out the definition between his nose and his face}. It finishes at 53” x 64”.

OK, so there you have it. Vote for your favorite layout, keeping in mind that I may or may not go with the majority vote. It will depend on if you all vote for what I really want. But I don't know that yet, which is why I'm asking you to vote.

Bert and Ernie, Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

Ernie: “1-Q.”
Bert: “2-Q.”
Ernie: “3-Q.”
Bert: “4-Q.”
Ernie: “5-Q.”
Bert: “6-Q.”
Ernie: “7-Q.”
Bert: “8-Q.”
Ernie: “9-Q.”
Bert: “10-Q.”
Ernie: “What's that, Bert?”
Bert: “10-Q!”
Ernie: “I couldn't hear you, Bert.”
Bert: “10-Q! 10-Q! 10-Q!”
Ernie: “You're welcome, you're welcome, you're welcome, Bert.”

Bert and Ernie share the basement apartment in the 123 Sesame Street building. Ernie loves to play games, while Bert would rather read a book. Bert has 368 bottle caps in his collection and loves to study his pet pigeon, Bernice. Ernie loves sing in the tub with his Rubber Duckie and use his imagination. He often wakes Bert in the middle of the night to ask him a question, while Bert does his best not to get frustrated. To say they are opposites would be an understatement. But when Ernie is not getting on Bert's nerves and Bert is not being too serious for Ernie, they are best pals. These friends don't always agree, but they always try to work it out.

Bert and Ernie have been a part of Sesame Street since the first episode in 1969. Bert is performed by Frank Oz, and beginning in 1997 Eric Jacobsen also became a principal performer for the character. Ernie was performed by Jim Henson until his death in 1990, and is now performed by Steve Whitmire. When the characters were first created Jim Henson performed Bert while Frank Oz did Ernie, but they switched after not too long, and each performer gave their character a bit of their own personalities.

More Serious Bert Facts:
Birthday: July 26
Best Friend: Ernie
Favorite expression: “Er-nie!”
Favorite Color: Grey
Likes: Brass bands, paper clips, bottle caps, argyle socks, the letter W, and watching the weather forecast on TV
Favorite food: Oatmeal
Dislikes: Being woken up by Ernie, Ernie's jokes

More Mischievous Ernie Facts:
Birthday: January 28
Favorite expression: “Hey, Bert, old buddy? Are you asleep?”
Best Friend: Bert
Favorite Song: “Rubber Duckie, You're the One”
Likes: Singing in the bath with Rubber Duckie, playing the saxaphone and playing tricks on Bert
Dislikes: Cleaning up

Patterns by Michelle Thompson
Piece Count: Bert — 87, Ernie — 133
Block Size: 10"
Fabrics:
Moda Marbles: Bert — Bright Yellow, California Orange, Turquoise; Ernie — California Orange, Cardinal, Bubblegum Pink, Grass Green
Kona Cotton: Snow & Black

I've also finished the label for the back of my quilt.

My layout is getting more filled in.

Or is it? Michelle has finished more patterns.

Uh-oh. I think I just heard my layout getting bigger.

I'm still debating the idea. Help me out, will you?

In the “cons” to expanding the quilt column:
• It will be like going back to square one. I started out with 12 blocks to finish and I will still have 12 blocks to finish {Zoe is almost done} if I expand the layout.
• Each block takes anywhere from 7 to 10 hours.
• I will definitely not have it finished in time for the first two of three quilt shows this spring/summer and possibly not even for the third.
• Each block takes anywhere from 7 to 10 hours.
• My embroidered quilt label will have the wrong month on it {and possibly the wrong year}.
• Each block takes anywhere from 7 to 10 hours.
• Because I don't have a deadline, it is possible for this quilt to end up sitting half-finished until the quilt shows next year.
• Have I mentioned how long each block takes?
• I will need more Moda Marbles for the back. I'll also need some other colors in order to have enough fabric to make more blocks.

In the “pros” to expanding the quilt column:
• I won't feel like I'm leaving anyone out.
• I'm definitely not going to have the quilt finished for the first quilt show and probably not for the second show, anyway. I can ease up the pace a bit and make myself not so crazy.
• I will need more Moda Marbles for the back. I'll also need some other colors in order to have enough fabric to make more blocks
• I won't feel rushed on the machine quilting part and can maybe explore other options besides stippling in the background behind each character.

It would seem that there are more cons than pros to making the quilt bigger. But knowing myself as I do, I think I probably won't be happy with it unless I include all the blocks that are available {except I'm going to have to choose between Guy Smiley and Barkley because there aren't enough spots for both of them}. Perhaps I'm not still debating it after all?

Shay told me that she really likes Sesame Street too, and asked if that made us childish. I told her that I'm sure that it just makes us young at heart. I'll keep telling myself that, because I'm going to have to start watching it so that I can see who Abby Cadabby is.

Cookie Monster, Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

“C” is for cookie that's good enough for me,
Oh! cookie, cookie, cookie starts with "C!”
–Cookie Monster, “C” is For Cookie

There is more than meets the eye to Sesame Street's resident googly-eyed, cookie craving monster. Cookie Monster is a complex being; though his vernacular is simple, he has quite a large vocabulary. He composes poems and sings songs about his beloved cookies. He asks deep questions about where cookies come from and he is in touch with his emotions, bursting into tears at the sight of an empty cookie jar.

Cookie Monster got his start as The Wheel-Stealer, in a 1966 snack commercial which never aired. After several evolutions, he became the cookie-and-pie-and-hubcap-and-letter-and-veggie-and-flatware-eating monster we know and love today. The gravelly-voice Cookie Monster was performed by Frank Oz until 2001 and the principle performer has been David Rudman since that time. In order to preserve his fur, the prop department provides him with rice cakes painted to look like cookies to devour during his scenes. He's appeared in more than 500 episodes of Sesame Street and is one of the most beloved characters of the show.

More Delicious Cookie Monster Facts:
Given Name: Sidney, or Sid for short
Birthday: November 2
Favorite expression: “OMM-nom-nom-nom”
Favorite Song: “Hungry Like the Wolf”
Favorite Book: The Joys of Eating
Favorite food: Cookies
Dislikes: An empty plate and eating the last cookie
Alter Ego: Alistair Cookie

Pattern by Michelle Thompson
Piece Count: 121
Block Size: 10"
Fabrics:
Moda Marbles: Cornflower Blue & Taxi Cab
Kona Cotton: Snow & Black

Various & Sundry Monday: Vol. 28

I believe all suffering is caused by ignorance. People inflict pain on others in the selfish pursuit of their happiness or satisfaction. Yet true happiness comes from a sense of peace and contentment, which in turn must be achieved through the cultivation of altruism, of love and compassion, and elimination of ignorance, selfishness, and greed. –Dalai Lama, 1989 Nobel Peace-Prize Speech

Eclipse

Yesterday there was a partial eclipse of the sun here. What a cool event to witness! Mr. Bug rigged us up a shadow viewer and we watched as it progressed. I fiddled with my camera settings, hoping to increase the pixel area/photo size. Instead I decreased it and ended up with teeny tiny photos with even teenier tinier images of the shadow of the eclipse. My little photo is almost not worth sharing, except the next time an eclipse will be visible in Utah is in 60 years.

The eclipse, which was annular {meaning the moon appears too small to cover the sun completely and leaves a ring of light around the moon} was fully visible in California. This is a photo of the actual eclipse.

{Photo: AP Photo/Shuji Kajiyama}

Dog Ear Confetti
These little bits of fabric and paper are the dog ears of 936 half-square triangles. Each square has two triangles and each triangle has two dog ears, that makes a total of 3,744 dog ears {give or take} in this little pile.

I'm doing a half-square triangle swap. I figured out how many 2" HST's I'd need to make a nice lap-sized quilt and then pulled fabrics from my stash. Our swap group used triangle papers that let you sew 12 HST's all at once. It is almost like paper piecing, but not quite. You put your two fabrics right sides together, put the paper on top and use it as a template for sewing and trimming. When you finish, the half-square triangle still needs to be pressed open and you have paper to remove from one side. I did 78 sheets and used a different print fabric for each one. It took me a week, but I am done! I kept four of each of my color combinations {312 HST's} and sent the rest {624 HST's} to be swapped out for HST's made by other members of the swap. Let the record show that I was finished and had my swaps in the mail a full 10 days before the deadline.

I won't be so on top of things with the Sesame Street quilt. Cookie Monster has been giving me the old stink eye for about a week-and-a-half now. I'm going to be right on top of the deadline for the first of three quilt shows, if I don't miss it completely. Besides Cookie Monster's other eye and the rest of his face, I have six other blocks to finish, and then there's assembly, quilting and binding all to get done by June 8^th. It is such a fun quilt to work on and I'm still really excited about it, so I hope that enthusiasm will help me get it finished in time.

Peony of the Day
I have 17 peony plants in my gardens. 13 of them are blooming this year and I intend to show you them all. I still had my camera set to stupid a smaller pixel/photo size, so pretty much what you see here is what you get.

This is Bowl of Beauty. It is kind of the teacher's pet, because I bought this as a dry root start {I know there is a name for it, but I've been trying to remember for days and can't} and usually it takes three years for those kinds of starts to actually produce flowers. This one bloomed right out of the bag {literally} the first year I planted it. I love that kind of self-motivation.

This is Félix Crousse. He's not quite completely open, but look at that beautiful color! Félix & Beauty are right next to each other and they look so pretty together.

And to wrap up, this is my second Karl Rosenfield plant. The first one bloomed last week and now this one has buds starting to open. I has been really fun to see the peonies bloom this year.

Various & Sundry Monday: Vol. 27

Little drops of water,

Little grains of sand,

Make the mighty ocean

And the pleasant land:

So the little minutes,

Humble though they be,

Make the mighty ages

Of eternity.

Little deeds of kindness,

Little words of love,

Help to make earth happy

Like the heaven above.

–Julia Carney

More from the Home Machine Quilting Show
I've been picking up the HMQS catalogs every spring for probably the last 4 or 5 years, always admiring the quilts they show off and browsing the class lists. As I flipped through those pages I thought I'd never, ever, in a million years be quilting my own quilts. But last year when I was looking at the catalog, I was particularly interested in the quilt show because I'd started quilting my own quilts. I'd missed the entry deadline, which was OK because I didn't really have anything good enough to go in a show anyway. But I decided then that I would enter this year. I entered my Snowball Quilt. I knew it would be a daisy among the roses and didn't expect to win. I thought it would be fun to enter, though, because at the time I'd finished it {which was about 11 months after I started doing FMQ}, it was the best quilt I'd done. The show was last weekend in Salt Lake and here's my quilt hanging in the show.

Quilt shows are subjective and each person gets a unique experience when they attend, which is why, I think, it is hard to share them properly in a blog post. I mostly took close-up photos of quilting techniques that I liked and want to have as a reference. But there were a couple of quilts that I really liked and want to share them with you. I started yesterday with one of my favorites and I'll share another today. Maybe I'll show a couple of others in the next few days, or maybe not. I haven't decided yet. The lighting wasn't the best for taking photos. I alternated between using the flash and not using it. I used the flash on this quilt and should have gone with my gut and taken some without the flash. I did the best I could in editing.

These little embroidered dresses are so amazing! I love the bead details the quilter added. It is hard to pick a favorite!

Can You Tell Me How to Get {Back} to Sesame Street?
I've had to put my Sesame Street Quilt on the back burner for a little bit, because I had some prior sewing commitments that are a little time consuming, but not very interesting to post. Mostly, I'm participating in a half-square triangle swap that I signed up for in February, but that isn't due until the end of this month. I figured there was plenty of time, right? Right. Anyway, there's no set number of HST's you have to make. You just make however many you want, keep a few of each of your color combinations for yourself and send the rest to the coordinator. You get back the same number of HST's you sent in and then you can make something fabulous with them when they come back. I decided that I didn't want to be on top of the deadline for this one, so I've put the Sesame Street quilt on hold and have been working on getting them together. The HST's are 2" finished and I'll need 888 of them to make a nice lap-sized quilt. Picking and prepping the fabrics was fun, but sewing them together, even using a speed-piecing method, is killing me. Can you say snooze-fest?

My point is, 888 half-square triangles in the prep and sewing stages does not make for interesting blog fodder. I'm still looking for the balance between work, home, kids and me, so when I have a few free minutes and the choice is between sewing or blogging, sewing has been winning, even though it's not interesting enough to post about. When I get my swap triangles back and start sewing them together, then that will be interesting. And as soon as I get them wrapped up and in the mail, I'll be back to the Sesame Street quilt, racing for the deadline. The first quilt show is June 8^th and 9^th. If I miss that one, I have a few days before the entry period for the next quilt show. If I miss the second show, then I have three more weeks until the show here in town at the Art Museum, which is the show I really want to make it to. Hopefully, I'll be done with these HST's in the next few days and back to Sesame Street before mid-week {yeah, yeah. I know. Wishful thinking.}.

I was really inspired by Michelle's patterns and that's where this quilt started. As I've worked on blocks, I've also been working out all the details of the quilt, including how to quilt it. I wanted to do something other than my favorite swirls in the sashing and feathers in the border. Those didn't seem to really fit this quilt. I was inspired by a couple of things Lane is doing on his red silk quilt. I loved the pumpkin seed border and figured it would fit really nicely in the sashing of the Sesame Street quilt. Not so much.

The outer corners don't match up, and the intersections are kind of weird. So I asked Lane what he thought. He made some really great suggestions for making a motif work in your space. I revised. Lane {and everybody else}, what do you think? Do the little spacers work, or do I need to go back to the drawing board?

Monday Music Spot: A Thousand Years
The Piano Guys' latest release is an amazing! I don't think there is one thing they've done that I haven't like. But this one is extra cool because it also has a really great Twilight connection. They've put together an arrangement of Christina Perri's A Thousand Years from the Breaking Dawn soundtrack and it is beautiful.


Available for purchase from The Piano Guys or on iTunes

Story behind the song:
Our kids give us great inspiration for our music. When Jon's 17 year-old daughter said how much she loved this song, Jon decided to try it. He experienced a flood of inspiration. "Never has a piano part come together this fast" Jon says. Steve experienced similar inspiration while composing the cello parts. Since the lyrics suggest a bride walking towards the groom in a ceremony we thought we would include a quote from the Bridal Chorus by Wagner in the climax of the song (it is carefully disguised).

As it seems to always go, Paul and Tel didn't find the spot until they spent 9 hours driving around southern Utah the day before the shoot looking. After getting a little discouraged by not finding anything that great, they just happened to check out a little hidden spot right near Baker Dam and thought it was perfect for the song. The next morning we all loaded up the piano and headed out there to film, but after getting the Truck and Trailer stuck and waiting for the sun to move, we didn't get started filming until that evening having about 3 hours of light. It was so fun to film and play in the middle of the trees!

Credits
A Thousand Years written by CHRISTINA PERRI, DAVID HODGES
Published by SUMMIT BASE CAMP FILM MUSIC, EMI BLACKWOOD MUSIC INC, CHRISTINA PERRI D/B/A MISS PERRI LANE PUBLISHING
Arrangement produced by Jon Schmidt
Arrangement written by Al van der Beek, Jon Schmidt, & Steven Sharp Nelson
Performed by
Jon Schmidt: piano
Steven Sharp Nelson: acoustic cello, & cello-percussion
Music recorded, mixed & mastered by Al van der Beek at TPG Studio
Video produced by Paul Anderson & Tel Stewart

Mr. Snuffleupagus, Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

He's not invisible, He just has bad timing! –Martin Robinson

Mr. Snuffleupagus, who everybody affectionately calls Snuffy, lives in a cave at 456 Snuffle Circle with his parents and younger sister Alice. Snuffy is approximately 8 feet tall and 15 feet long. He and Big Bird are the best of friends, and although for more than 14 years everyone on Sesame Street thought that Snuffy was imaginary, there's not a person or monster on Sesame Street who doesn't know and love him today.

Snuffy made his first appearance on November 8, 1971. He is built on a rattan framework, which is attached to a steadycam backpack and requires two puppeteers to operate. Throughout the years various performers have put on the Snuffleupagus costume, but since 1980 Martin Robinson has been the principal performer on Snuffy's front end. He does Snuffy's front legs and navigates through the use of a monitor inside the head. Marty operates the eyes and trunk with his left hand, the mouth with his right and also does the voice. Bryant Young is the main performer at the back end, although several others have also played the part. From his first appearance in 1971 to mid-season in 1985, everyone thought Mr. Snuffleupagus was Big Bird's imaginary friend due to a constant series of near-meetings. The producers decided to reveal him to the entire cast because they were worried that children might believe that the adults in their lives wouldn't believe them when they told them something important and choose, instead, to remain silent.

More Mysterious Mr. Snuffleupagus Facts:
Full Name: Aloysius Snuffleupagus
Age: 4
Birthday: August 19
Favorite expression: “Ohhh, dear!”
Best friend: Big Bird
Favorite food: cabbage, spaghetti and sasafrass tea
Favorite activities: Attending the opera, roller skating and tap dancing
Shoe Size: 65 triple G

Pattern by Michelle Thompson
Piece Count: 91
Block Size: 10"
Fabrics:
Moda Marbles: Cyan Blue, Chestnut & Bubblegum Pink
Kona Cotton: Snow & Black

Big Bird, Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

I guess it's better to be who you are. Turns out people like you best that way, anyway. –Big Bird

Big Bird lives in a nest 123½ Sesame Street building. This 8’ 2” yellow bird is always asking questions, trying to figure out how the world works. He often makes mistakes and gets upset when things don't go as planned. Despite that, he is persistent in always trying to find a good solution to the problem.

Big Bird is Sesame Street's central character and he has been a part of the cast since the first episode aired in 1969. He is performed by Caroll Spinney, who is completely concealed in the costume. He extends his right arm above his head to operate the neck and head and uses his left hand as Bird's left hand. The right hand and arm are stuffed and attached to a fishing line that loops behind the neck and is attached to the wrist of the left hand. The feathers on the costume are white turkey feathers, which have been dyed yellow, backed with yellow ribbon and hand sewn onto the costume. The feathers are replaced frequently.

More Curious Big Bird Facts:
Age: 6
Birthday: March 20
Scientific name: Bigus canarius
Favorite expression: “Asking questions is a good way of finding things out!”
Best friend: Mr. Snuffleupagus
Favorite Toy: Radar, his teddy bear
Favorite food: Birdseed milkshaes
Favorite sports: Dancing, roller skating, ice skating, riding a unicycle
Favorite hobbies: Singing, writing poetry, drawing
Dislikes: Making mistakes

Pattern by Michelle Thompson
Piece Count: 136
Block Size: 10"
Fabrics:
Moda Marbles: Dandelion, Bright Yellow, Bubblegum Pink, Cornflower, Cardinal & Burgundy
Kona Cotton: Snow & Black

Oscar, Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

Ding dong! You're wrong! –Oscar the Grouch

Oscar is Sesame Street's resident grouch. He lives in a trash can between the 123 Sesame Street building and Big Bird's nest. He detests kindness, cleanliness and sweetness. He is especially annoyed by children who play in front of his trash can. Oscar is the ultimate pessimist — he's only happy when he's miserable. He enjoys yelling at people to go away, but is unsatisfied when they do because there's nobody left to yell at.

Oscar the Grouch was inspired by a grumpy waiter who served Jim Henson and former Sesame Street director Jon Stone at a New York restaurant called Oscar's Tavern. The waiter was so grouchy that Jim and Jon actually found him amusing and this waiter's attitude was the basis for Oscar the Grouch. Another unwitting New Yorker also helped to make Oscar who he is. On his way to the first day of performing Oscar, a Bronx cab driver asked Caroll Spinney, "Where to, Mac?" His gruff, gravelly voice helped Caroll to develop Oscar's voice.

More Grouchy Oscar Facts:
Birthday: February 3
Age: 43
Favorite song: “I Wanna Hold Your Trash”
Favorite expression: “Scram!”
Pets: Slimey the worm and Fluffy the elephant
Favorite food: anchovy milkshakes
Likes: collecting junk, standing in line, arguing, rainy days
Dislikes: rainbows, candy, niceness

How Oscar Came to Be

Part I: Oscar Abandoned
After waking up with a Sesame Street quilt in my head almost two weeks ago, I pulled out my stash of Moda Marbles and got to work {see also, Elmo}. I love the slight texture and color variations in the fabrics, which is more interesting than a solid fabric and less overwhelming to the design of these blocks than a print would be. In addition to about a dozen half-yard cuts in bright, cheerful colors, I had left about half of the jelly roll I used for my Grandpa's quilt, which had jewel and earth tones in it. In those left-overs was the perfect Oscar-the-Grouch-green. I had two strips, which is just a smidge more than an eighth of a yard and it contrasted perfectly with the pale lavender background fabric I'd picked.

Things were going swimmingly and I finished 7 out of 10 of the pieces last Friday and had them all together when it was time to stop for bed. Saturday morning while I was getting ready for the day, I decided that I'd better measure to make sure the block was the right size because in thinking of the completed Elmo block and the Oscar black, he seemed smaller. And he was. He was a full inch smaller than he should have been.

I knew that I absolutely did not have enough left of the green that I was using to make another block. I considered adding a little a border out of the background fabric all the way around the block to make it the right size. But I knew that it would look like I'd made the block too small and then added the border to make it the right size, so that plan was out almost before it was even considered. I thought about cutting away as much green fabric as possible from the too small block to make a larger block, but I knew that wouldn't work either. It was back to the drawing board.

Part II: Oscar Reborn
I looked up pictures of Oscar to really get his color in my head and then I weighed my options. OK. I obsessed. A lot. The Sesame Street Style Guide, which I had come across when searching for images of the characters, is very specific about which colors should be used for each character when they are represented in works of art. Oscar is supposed to be bright green. But that perfect, dark Oscar-the-Grouch-green was stuck in my head. I loved how it contrasted with the background fabric. And I loved the subtle variations in the color which reminded me of Oscar's fur. It was exactly the shade of the real live Oscar.

Frustrated, I compared my bright green Moda Marbles to the style guide. Bright green Oscar was just not working for me. I wanted to find some more of the exact shade of darker green I'd been using. I browsed on-line to see if I could figure out which green Marble I had so I could order more, but lacked confidence that the colors on my screen were the colors I'd be getting in the mail. I paced up and down in front of the same two shelves at the quilt shop for 30 minutes, willing one of the bolts of Marbles they carry to turn to the right color. I found something similar and took it home, but it didn't look as good with the lavender background. Unwilling to give in to bright green Oscar, I experimented with different background colors. I couldn't find anything I liked. Oscar in true-to-life green was not working out. I relented. Bright green Oscar it was. And I made sure to make him at the right size.

Part III: Oscar in the Quilt
When I started blocks for this quilt, I had the general layout planned in my head. But as I finished up Oscar, with his deep purple background, I realized that I needed a virtual layout so that I could put the blocks in their spots to see how everything was working together. It wasn't until I had Oscar in his spot that I stopped obsessing over true-to-life green Oscar and embraced bright green Oscar. The darker green with the pale background would not have fit quite right in the quilt. Bright green Oscar's more vibrant fur and background fit perfectly. Thank you Sesame Street Style Guide.

Pattern by Michelle Thompson
Piece Count: 99
Block Size: 10"
Fabrics:
Moda Marbles: Chameleon, Passion Purple, Paper Bag & Flag Red
Kona Cotton: Snow & Black

Elmo, Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street?

Play! Play! Elmo wants to play! –Elmo, as quoted by Caroll Spinney in The Wisdom of Big Bird (and the Dark Genius of Oscar the Grouch): Lessons from a Life in Feathers

Three-and-a-half-year-old Elmo Monster lives on the third floor of the 123 Sesame Street apartment building with his parents, Louie and Mae Monster, and his baby sister, Daisy. He loves to ask questions, color, sing, and care for Dorothy, his pet goldfish.

Voiced by the 52 year-old, 6' tall, deep-voiced Kevin Clash, Elmo is the most recognizable children's character in the United States. He's been a regular part of Sesame Street since 1985. Michelle Thompson has captured him perfectly in her pattern, available at Fandom in Stitches.

I may have lost my marbles, starting a new quilt when I already have so many other things going on. I woke up with the idea in my head a few days ago and couldn't get it out of my mind. I pulled out my stash of Moda Marbles and got to work. I bought them almost three years ago for another project that is still waiting to be worked on. I'll eventually get back to it, but in the meantime, it makes me happy to use these fabrics in something so fun!

I guess I didn't lose my marbles after all .

More Fun Elmo Facts:
Full name: Elmo Monster
Scientific name: Furrius childus
Age: 3½
Birthday: February 3
Favorite song: “Elmo's Song”
Favorite expression: “Elmo loves you!”
Best friend: Zoe
Pet: Dorothy the Goldfish
Favorite food: pizza
Favorite fruit: banana
Favorite game: tag
Favorite sports: Rollerblading, miniature golf
Favorite hobbies: playing piano, tap dancing
Dislikes: Brussels sprouts
Awards: Won the longest giggle award on the Golden Grover Awards

Pattern by Michelle Thompson
Piece Count: 122
Block Size: 10"
Fabrics:
Moda Marbles: Lipstick, Key Lime & California Orange
Kona Cotton: Snow & Black