The Polka Dot Debutante

As everyone who reads this blog knows, I've had cancer twice in the last 3 years. It's been difficult, but I'm now on the other side and am currently cancer-free. This time around, I needed some help to wrap my mind around it and learn how to live with cancer in my life, and an organization called Cancer Care Resources has given me that help. They are a non-profit organization that provides free counseling and other support services to cancer patients. It was started back in 1999 by a group of oncologists who saw the need for this type of service.

Like everyone else right now, they are suffering financially and it looks like they might have to close their doors. They are funded by private donations and are having an auction on October 11th to see if they can raise enough money to continue.

If you are interested, you can click on the picture below and you'll be able to view or download a PDF of the benefit flyer.

I am a total Halloween fanatic. I mean, what's not to love?! Great decorations, people give you candy, you can dress up in costumes and there are no presents to buy. It is the greatest holiday.
So to celebrate that fact, I'm going to post a picture every day this month of one of my Halloween quilts or other great Halloween decorations. I will try to give credit where it is due if I can remember.

Today's picture is of an original quilt. I think I made this back in 1995. It's called Trick or Treat.

First of all, here is Halloween Decoration #2. It's a wool table runner that I made about 10 years ago. Can't remember what book it was from.

I also want to say farewell to this lampshade that I made 23 years ago when Devon was just a baby. I put those Boynton figures on it and his room had a matching wallpaper border. It was so cute. Rick very nicely modeled it for me before we tossed it.

Where did Day Three Go? Yeah, I already blew it. I'm just not used to doing an entry every day. So this is really for Day Three and Day Four. The wooden girl I bought in California in the early nineties at a boutique. The three little ceramic pumpkins came from Ceramic Showcase 2007. Can't remember the artist. The little whole cloth quilt that you can partially see behind them was made by Marge Scott from my small quilt group in California.

This quilt is from (I think) American Patchwork and Quilting probably 1997 or 1998. Can't remember, can't find the magazine, and I didn't label the quilt. Bad me. I'm always pestering my students to make sure they label their quilts. I wish I had. My friend Catherine and I each made a quilt from this pattern. It was fun. Does anybody remember the magazine or the name of the quilt?

I got some pumpkins the other day along with some mums and chard to decorate the area around the door. Looks like Fall to me.

I made these two little beauties at least 14 years ago. Their bodies are made from old quilts and their heads are painted, dried pomegranates. They still make me smile.

I bought these plates ten or so years ago when I lived in California. They go up on the wall in the kitchen every year.

This stitchery is from a pattern but I can't remember what it was called. And I can't find the pattern either. I love it. It hangs in our bathroom at Halloween.

I know day ten was yesterday but this blogging every day is hard. Sometimes I just space on it. Anyway, I wanted to share a couple of pictures from a class I taught last Saturday. I taught a class on how to make my Honeycomb quilt.

I made this quilt for Cover to Cover when we read the book "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd. I loved the book and wanted to make something folksy in the Gees Bend style. All the fabrics came from my scrap bins. I only used templates to square up the big honeycomb shape at the end. It was a lot of fun to make and I even hand quilted it. It has really big stitches in a thick linen thread that goes with the look of the quilt. I never planned to teach this quilt as a class but LuAnn at Fibers In Motion asked me to. So the women in the class on Saturday were my guinea pigs. I think it went well and the blocks that every one made were great. Here are a couple of pictures.

Melanie's blocks are on the left and Loni's blocks are on the right.

Valri's blocks are on the left and Mary Ann's are on the right.

This quilt came from a pattern that was in Quilters Newsletter Magazine some years back. It is paper pieced and I hate paper piecing. But I loved the pattern so I made a trade with my friend Vivienne. I did some quilting for her and she paper pieced it for me. It was a great trade.

I got home from teaching today and this adorable candle holder was waiting for me on the counter with a really cute card. I have the greatest husband.

I know this is not a Halloween decoration but it is HORRIBLE. Yes, this is what our basement bedroom and bath looks like at the moment. Rick and I spent this weekend ripping out the floors and the baseboard. We are having the concrete refinished which I am very excited about. It will be stained a rusty, browny color with a glossy sealant on top. It will look fab and will be very low maintenance.
Of course we now have to redo the baseboards and deal with the stairs. We decided against ripping out the vanity and shower in the bathroom. They are both gross but we just couldn't face that whole can of worms. So now you know why I've not been getting any sewing done; it's home improvement time!

This quilt was designed by Dorie Whipple. She used to teach at ThimbleCreek back in the nineties when I worked there. She was a wonderful person and a great quilter who passed away from cancer. I think of her and smile every year when I hang this up.

This little beauty I made myself. I copied it after one I had seen in a gift store. It was way too expensive so I made my own. She is about 18 inches tall with a flannel dress and dowels for legs. The hat is made from some coarse, openy ribbon, her head is wood and her hands are painted muslin. It was a long process but I'm so glad I persevered.

I'll be away from my computer for a few days. I'm heading down to the beach to teach at Ocean Waves Quilt Camp. More pictures when I get back.

I just got back from teaching at Ocean Waves Quilt Camp in Tillamook, OR. I had so much fun this year. Quilt Camp has a great vibe thanks to it's founder and leader Jane Wise. She just seems to bring out the best in everyone. And she tells great jokes!
Thursday I spent the day sewing with some friends in Oceanside and then I taught Friday and Saturday. The weather was beautiful and I got in a couple of hikes over the mountain there. (Thanks Carrie and Beth!)
On Friday I taught Animal Chains and we had a blast. Everyone was so enthused and got lots done. It's such a happy quilt. Here are a few pictures and hopefully I got the names right. I tend to remember students by their work not their names. I guess it's an occupational hazard.

By Susan Bray.

By Jenni from Canby

By Shari from Canby

I know these aren't the best photographs but they are from Show and Tell on Saturday night when everyone shows what they made in class. I felt like a proud parent!

Tomorrow I'll put up pictures from Saturday's class.

These pictures are from the Egg Drop Soup class on Saturday. It was really lots of fun. Once the students grasp the technique, they are off and running. We had some great color combinations too. Take a look.

I'm heading out of town again; going to Houston to visit family and go to the big International Quilt Festival. While I'm gone, my wonderful hubby will guest blog for me and post some more Halloween pictures. I'll talk to you again in a week and Happy Halloween.

My good friend Susan sent me a link to the Pumpkin Simulator, a fun little way to practice your pumpkin carving skills for Friday night. Check it out!

Mr. Debutante here. I do most all of the cooking around Polkadot Central, but I stick to the main courses. Lee (and Liza) do the baking and the generation of sweets. If you like to cook savory or sweet, or even mix a few drinks, check out Epicurious.com's Halloween Tricks and Treats special section. They have recipes, links to cool candies (including organic lollipops!), a special themed mixology guide, and Amy Sedaris's wacky party planner.

There's also a recipe for Spicy Grilled Chicken With Creamy Pumpkin Mole Sauce; the Deb will probably get that when she comes home from Houston.

The little counter on the right tells me that there are only 7 hours, 18 minutes and 27 seconds until Halloween, so here's a little sneak peek for tomorrow's grand finale:

Hope all your ghosts, ghouls, goblins and witches are ready!

Here we go - final post of the month. One of Lee's quilts from quite a while ago, but still one of our faves.

(Click on the picture to see a bigger version of it.)

Happy Halloween everyone, from Lee and the rest of goblins at Polkadot Central!