The Doodlebug

A Sketchy Life

I admit it, I'm a doodlebug.

I have doodled my whole life.  I think

I started with crayons and have moved

on t0 pencils, pens,  markers, pastels,

charcoal, rapidographs.  I think I've

even doodled with thread.

I doodle during meetings, when I travel,

at home, when I go out to dinner...

I doodled my way through 18 years

of school.  It is as if my hand has a

mind of it's own, I can't help myself.

I doodle in notebooks, sketchbooks,

on cocktail napkins and old receipts.

Recently, a quilting/facebook friend

introduced me to Zentangle.  I find the

idea very interesting.  As my interest in

surface design grows, I've decided to take

my doodling a bit more seriously and try

to make a little piece of art each day.

Do you Zentangle?



Flora and Fauna ~ Mexico

Natural Beauty

Everywhere I looked in Mexico

there was natural beauty.

I wonder, do the Mexicans ever

 take it for granted?

They are so lucky to live with

such beauty.



Chock-A-Block Wednesday

Morning Star Variation

Happy Autumn!

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A: White:

4 - 3 1/4" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

1 - 6" square

Fabric B: Brown

4 - 2 1/2" squares

4 - 3 1/4" squares

Fabric C: Green

1 - 6" square

4 - 2 1/2" squares

Fabric D: Gold

2 - 6" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

Fabric E: Autumn print

1 - 4 1/2" square

Make Half Square Triangles:

Pair Fabric A and Fabric B 3 1/4" squares

 with right sides together.Sew 1/4" away

from each side of drawn line, cut on drawn

line and press to the dark fabric. 

 Square to 2 1/2".

Make Corner Units:

Layout 2 1/2" units as shown and sew

together in 2 rows.  Press seam in row 1

to the left and seam in row 2 to the right.

Sew rows together and press

final seam open to reduce bulk.

Square to 4 1/2".  Make 4.

Make Center Outer Units:

Make Half Square Triangles by pairing

6" squares with right sides together in

the following combinations:

1 - A/D          1 - C/D

Sew a 1/4" away from each side of drawn

line, cut on drawn line and press seams

to Fabric D. 

Draw a diagonal line on back as shown

above on the A/C units.

Place A/D and C/D units right sides

together along seam line.  Make sure

the seams "lock" together and pin.

Then sew 1/4" away from each side of

drawn line.

Cut on drawn line and press final

seam open to reduce bulk.  See the

instructions below for how to square

a Quarter Square Triangle.

We want to square this unit to 4 1/2".

I placed a small piece of tape on the spot

 of my ruler where the 2 2 1/4" lines intersect.

Place the 2 1/4" mark on the very center of

the unit and make sure the diagonal line on

the ruler runs along the diagonal seam.  Trim

the right and top seams.

Rotate the square so the trimmed corner

is now on the bottom left.  Place your 2 1/4"

mark on the center again but also make sure

the 4 1/2" marks on the right bottom and top

left are at the points of the triangles along

the edge.  Trim right side and top.

Assemble Block:

Layout units as shown and sew together

in 3 rows.  Press seams in rows 1 and 3 to

the outside and seams in row 2 to the inside.

Sew rows together and press final

seams open to reduce bulk.

Square to 12 1/2".



Me Time ~ September 27, 2011

Truly great friends are hard to find,

difficult to leave and impossible to forget.



Me encanta Mexico!

A New Found Paradise

When I told people I was going to Mexico,

 I got many responses and none of them were good.

I heard things like:

* Never leave the resort.

* Don't go on the beach at night.

* Only take taxis, never buses.

* You'll be kidnapped!

Yes, I actually heard that one and some that were

worse than that but I can't even bring myself to

write about that...

This was my first trip to Mexico.

I've been to far flung corners of the world

 but had never visited my southern neighbors.

  I think I thought it wouldn't be foreign

enough, that it would be just like

Florida.  I'm happy to report - I was wrong.

Mexico is as vibrant and spicy as its salsas.

It has a foreign feel but at the same time

it is very welcoming.  The people have a

lovely sweet nature and let's face it ~ tourists

are treated well because the locals know

that is where the money comes from.

Now I don't want to paint too rosy a

picture here and say all of Mexico is

fine for travel.  No, that is not true at

this time.  I was in the south in Cancun,

and the nearest place that you will start

to find trouble is about 20 hours away.

You may be saying ~ Cancun?  Isn't that

the den of iniquity where girls (and boys)

have gone wild?  Yes, it is, but I must remind

you, those girls and boys are American college

students, who descend upon Cancun for a few

weeks a year and participate in activities

that would make their parents back home cringe.

The Cancun where the locals live, is

very family friendly.  On a Friday night

you don't find the locals in bars and clubs

unless they happen to be working there.

The locals are out with their families,

strolling through the park, eating at food

stands, watching the kids drive little cars

around the square.

I'm happy to say I rode the local buses,

even the ones that are old vans with

benches in the back, I ate at little local

places and from street vendors, I went on

the beach at night and walked down some

very lonely streets.  And I was fine.

You must still be cautious, just as you

would be anywhere but give Cancun a

try ~ I highly recommend it.

And then there's the beauty and nature,

stop by again soon and you'll be able

to see some of the stunning photos of

this beautiful place.

Civil War Remembered ~ Block 39

Hovering Hawks

We are quilting along with Barbara

Brackman's 2011 Civil War Quilts.

http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/

Fabric A: Cream Print

3 - 3 1/4" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

Fabric B: Dark Green

4 - 2 1/2" squares

Fabric C: Red

2 - 2 1/2" squares

Fabric D: Gold

2 - 3 1/4" squares

Fabric E: Green and White

2 - 3 1/4" squares

Fabric F: White and Gold

2 - 3 1/4" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

Fabric G: Gold print

1 - 3 1/4" squares

Make Half Square Triangles:

Pair 3 1/4" squares, right sides together,

in the following combinations:

2 - A/D     2 - E/F     1 - A/G

Sew 1/4" away from each side of drawn

line, cut on drawn line and press to the

darker fabric.  Square to 2 1/2".

Make Unit #1:

Layout units as shown and sew

together in 2 rows.  Press seam

in row 1 to the right and seam

in row 2 to the left.

Sew rows together and

press seam to the top.

 Square to 4 1/2".  Make 2.

Make Unit #2:

Layout units as shown and sew together

in 2 rows.  Press seam in row 1 to the left

and seam in row 2 to the right.

Sew rows together and

press seam to the bottom.

Square to 4 1/2".  Make 2.

Assemble Block:

Layout units as shown and sew

together in 2 rows.  Press seam

in row 1 to the left and seam in

row 2 to the right.

Sew rows together and press final

seam open to reduce bulk.

Square to 8 1/2".



Civil War Remembered ~ Block 38

Ohio Star

We are quilting along with Barbara

Brackman's 2011 Civil War Quilt.

http://civilwarquilts.blogspot.com/

Please Note:  Since this is an 8 1/2" block

that has to be divided into 3 ~ the math doesn't

come out to anything easy.  When I am cutting or

squaring my blocks to 3 1/8", I am using what I call

 a "heavy-handed" cut.  It is just a little over the

3 1/8" measure, just go a bit beyond the proper line.

But sew with a scant 1/4".

Fabric Requirements:

Fabric A : Center Blue Fussy Cut

1 - 3 1/8" square

Fabric B:  Blue print

4 - 3 1/8" squares

1 - 4 5/8" square

Fabric C: Orange

1 - 4 5/8" square

Fabric D: Gold

2 - 4 5/8" squares - Mark

a diagonal line on back.

Make Quarter Square Triangles:

Step #1:

Pair 4 5/8" squares with right sides

together in the following combinations:

1 - B/D          1 - C/D

Sew 1/4" away from each side of drawn

line.  Cut on drawn line and press to

Fabric D.

Step #2:

Now mark a diagonal line on the back of

the C/D units as shown.

Pair  B/D squares and C/D squares with

right sides together along the seam line.

"Lock" the seam together and  sew 1/4" away

from each side of drawn line.  Cut on the drawn

line and press seam open to reduce bulk.

Okay, I admit, squaring up the Quarter

Square Triangles at this size is a bit

complicated, but just follow the pictures

and you should be fine.  Half of 3 1/8"

falls between 1 1/2" and 1 5/8", look at

the ruler and you'll see I have marked the

intersection of this measure with a piece

of tape.  This point must go in the center

of the square where all the points meet.

Trim the right side and top.

Now rotate the square so the trimmed

corner is now in the lower left.  Placer ruler

 back on square with the center at the proper

 place but also the 3 1/8" mark shoud be

 at the point of the triangle in the upper top

left and lower bottom right corners, trim.

Assemble Block:

Layout units as shown and sew together

in 3 rows, paying attention to proper placement

of the quarter square triangle units.  Press seams

in rows 1 and 3 to the outside and seams in row 2

to the inside.

Sew rows together and press final seams

open to reduce bulk.  Square to 8 1/2".