Just Hatched Just Thinking

A Picture of Married Life

Why can’t it always be this …. Simple?   OK, so after yet another 2 week hospital stay (that’s for another post this is WAYYY more important that that!) I’m back in the saddle again and have FINALLY put all the pieces back together again to this humpty dumpty of a blog.  Some of you might have been gone along with me but the last time I came on to “bring spring to the winter look” of Just Hatched, Just Thinking” my lovely laptop blew it’s lovely mind and the end result was that my entire blog was blown to bits. (I love my computer and it loves me… I love my computer and it loves me….)  Sooooo after biting the bullet and spending a day or two or getting it all pieced back together again(is it still 2011?)  I was wandering about the studio today wondering what I was going to write about when this whole scenario took place. 

As I walk by my husband’s home office door he shouts out –

HUBS: Hey, honey… How come you just don’t use this camera?

ME: What camera?

HUBS: The one I got you for your birthday last year.

Which stopped me in my tracks, thinking frantically…some foggy memory coming to mind…then wait for it… clearer…yes, yes,… the HUBS absconding with said camera for … HUBBY PROJECTS!   Why?  Because the WIFE has an iphone with a perfectly good camera on it!  OK, so…  

ME:  Hand over the camera. 

End scenario.

 Yes, it’s a common American household occurrence, this ahem, misplacement of goods.  And yes, family members SHOULD share but oh… when the HUBS is so darn HUBBY????   Arghhhhhhhhhhhhhh.   Belly up to the girl bar, with me, won’t you?

For the past 2 months I have been fussing about how I cannot get good photos of my quilts for website marketing, heck for any marketing because I DO NOT HAVE WHAT?

A decent camera.

I have spent the past week trying to redo a non-existent budget, using all of my wiles to con it into producing funds for what?

A decent camera.

Lost sleep surfing E-bay, and burned my brain out looking at cookware, jewelry and easy-pay BBQ grills on QVC hoping to find…. A decent camera.

And all this time Mr. Decent Camera was living a scant 10 feet from my own studio door.  Who knew?

Ah…now we come to the heart of the matter.  WHO KNEW?   That handsome face has  been hiding this secret for almost a year.  He and his cats.   Pirating my birthday booty!   Keeping me from my very own Kodak moments!   Easy Share technology hoarders!  Hah!  See where that gets you now that you no longer have it!  Har, har, har….

Lord, knows I love the man.  But when I asked him WHY on earth he hadn’t said anything oh, like,  “RED, YA ALREADY GOT A CAMERA! “ during this entire period of  photo sturm and drang his answer was simply “I just thought you didn’t like the one I had gotten you.”  Well, shut the front door!  This lovely man has gone an entire year thinking that I didn’t like his birthday gift.  WHOOOOOOPS! (The pirate wench will be leaving us now.)

   Sometimes I wonder how we manage not to burn this place down! LOL

And so, my quilty friends, I’ll be going now.  I have some photos to take and some snuggling to do with the HUBS.  After all, he did get me one heck of a birthday gift! AH…these are the times of our lives, are they not? Wishing you the same. Pamela

Ch...Ch...Changes...

Wow... it's been almost 5 months since I last posted here.  How time flies... or crawls depending on the day!  Life has taken me all OVER the place since I sat here "Just Thinking".     I have had lots of fun and frolic as well as a fair amount of pain mixed in with the pleasure; in other words, my life has been just like everyone one elses!   Why do I write about it?    For the simple pleasure of sharing the insanity!  Because when the silliness happens - it's GOOD to know that I'm not the only nut in the jar!  When life is a blender set on frappe... you guys always come up with ways to push the stop button.  And, most of all, when it's unbearably painful - you're always there with the vodka; what more could a girl want?  So, once again... she's Baaaaaaack!  I hope that you'll join me on my crazy "Just Hatched" journey once again.  I've got LOADS to tell you and LOTS of new things to share!  

WHERE TO START???

Duh!  Start with the quilts, dummy!   Our two websites -Just Hatched Quilts on Etsy and Just Hatched Productions on Artfire continue to thrive and while we are not doing craft shows at this time we ARE doing custom orders like never before!  The most exciting thing for me, however, is the change in my time commitments which is now allowing me to create art quilts and to teach in the studio.  Wooo, HOOOOO!!

I retired in Nov. as a GED examiner at the local community college and the Hubs and I redid the "sewing studio" into a "teaching studio"... It is awesome!  I can fit 4 students at a time for lessons; the perfect number for really hands on teaching!  Studio JHP has been up and running since November and we are really rocking some great quilts and embroidery projects!  On that note- you'll be seeing some photo albums popping up on the left side of the page that will have great pix of the Studio during classes , "works in progress", and then the TA-DA!  it's finished photos! LOL

I LOVE teaching...  Wanna know the best part?  THE HUBS has just been placed on permanent work from status (YEAHHHH!) so his "office" is right across the hall from the Studio!   We get to see each other during the day, share lunch - or better yet, if it's a slow day - HE COOKS... for ALL of us in the studio (or fetches, as the case may be! LOL).   Too much fun!  We even have the Keurig coffee cart set up in the hall between us so we can all have our caffiene fix without disturbing the other's work environment!   Wait...what's that I'm hearing?  Groans at having the Hubs around 24/7?   Not here.  He's already been working from home for almost 2 years - the result of having THREE knee replacements done - and we were dreading the day he would have to start commuting downtown again!  I just never get tired of seeing his furry face... don't think I ever will, either!

And the quilts????  Well, my head has been STUFFED with landscapes, and fantasy, and art deco patterns and , and, and..... all kinds of  ideas that I want to create with fabric and thread and yarn and painting and photographs and, and, and!!!  I FINALLY have the time - built in- planned for- expected- to pull them out from between my ears and bring them to life!   WHOOOO HOOOOO!!!  That will be ANOTHER photo album that will be added onto the side bar!  HOWEVER, if you'd like to take a peek at one that I just finished - click here for a short video! Arizona On My Mind Quilt   And, please, let me know what you think about things... I would love to hear what you are thinking about our quilts; rag, embroidery, art... any and all! 

                                         AND THEN THERE WAS LIFE...

   And the question was asked from a friend in Berlin, in Montreal and in San Jose... what DID happen that you weren't writing.  We missed you.   Like I said earlier, life, both up and down, happened.   Family things took time and energy;  my daughter, Briana, the one who lives in Arizona, was in a serious car accident and was partially paralyzed (her left leg totally without any feeling or movement) and she is slowly recovering from that.  Restructuring Just Hatched Productions to allow for Studio JHP and teaching was a biggo time cruncher, too!   My other business is in the advertising and social networking arena; I help small businesses create blogs and websites as well as design biz cards and paper advert and marketing goods and I picked up two new clients late in the fall.  YEAH!!!!    It was VERY exciting because one of them had their blog chosen as blog of the week by one of their field's biggest suppliers!!  I was such a proud Momma!  

      Then we've had some real heartbreakers these past few months; we had to put down our cat, Ricky, age 17,  and then his sister, Lucy, passed away in her sleep a short time afterward.  Lucy (known as Mad Lucy due to her eerie habit of stalking the hallways at night, erratica
lly  emitting low-pitched moans and cries),  passed during the crazy blizzard that Chicago had a few weeks back.  I sat up all night, snuggling her until she was too weak and sleepy to really hold, then we put her in a box with pillow and blanket and heating pad and pulling it over to my computer desk,  she slept the hours away while I designed an appropriately crazy quilt and then cut and pieced it as she slipped away...  She is embroidered on the corner and I only have to quilt it now.  I've designed all different cat poses to quilt it with rather than one single boring stitch over the whole blanket.  It will be going on my sites as the "Mad Lucy Quilt"... someone out there will appreciate the love and history of that crazy old girl!

CHICK PIX LAUNCH!

Very exciting news!  The very last thing that kept me just a TAD bit busy was preparing for my very own product launch!  YEP!  Just Hatched Productions has launched a photo-digitizing service called "Chick Pix" which works like this; you send us via email a photo that you would like  digitized into a machine embroidery file and I create a "photo-stitch" type design for you, put it onto a CD along with thread charts, jpg of sewout and so on and send it back!  Size of designs are 3x3-8x10, no charge for differing sizes,  design can be in color, BW or sepia AND you will get the threads in whatever manufacturer you choose! No more spending an hour converting thread colors!  How cool is that!!

Mary Forte of Fabrics, Etc. 2 launched Chick Pix at her store 2 weeks ago thru all of her embroidery and sew clubs.  GO MARY!  Chick Pix will be available here on the blog and on our websites by the weekend if you are interested!   We are so excited!  If you would like to see what some of our portrait work looks like check out these two videos on YouTube; in addition to the crazy Zion National Park Embroidery Throwdown you will see other small portrait projects!

Zionhiker 1 - Embroidery Throwdown! 

  Zionhiker 2- Set on You ... It is Finished!

 

 THIS CHICK SAYS

   The last thing I have to tell you this afternoon ( as I need to finish up a quilt!) is that I'll be inviting my students to join me on the blog!   They'll be on the left hand side-bar under the heading "This Chick Says".   I heartily invite you to see what they might have to say as their life journeys are pretty cool! 

Tanya speeds around the country visiting her grandchildren (and sewing all the while), checking in on her parents, and snowmobiling and boating with the Hubs at her vacation home;  again, sewing at every opportunity!  She couldn't wait to retire so that she could join Studio JHP to learn "EVERYTHING!"  ... whew!  She DOES mean everything!

Paula (also known as Pony Jo) is our horsewoman... balancing job, home,   firefighter hubs and 2 boys, and oh yeah...THREE horses!  An accomplished rider she is learning both embroidery design and quilting... if it involves a horse...she's there!

Ruth... my Teacher Sister Friend!  Mom of two, teacher of those with special needs, this woman can sew you up one side and down the other!  She is learning the embroidery side of life.

Barb (also known as Sunny Daze) is our Newbie... and I do mean NEW-bie!   Basically never sewed a stitch in her life outside of that dreaded Jr. high school class jumper!   Barb joined us for some "color therapy" in the "Rainbow Room" (studio's nick due to all of the fabric bolts! LOL) and tackled an appliscape pillow and was HOOKED!  Barb's journey is quite special and I have invited her to have her own blog page on Just Hatched, Just Thinking.  Look for posts from Sunny Daze... I guarantee your spirit will be fed.

TO SUM IT UP!

Like it or not... I'm back! LOL

Studio JHP means I am teaching and will be sharing what we are learning and laughing about as we cut, press, sew and quilt!  It also means I am blessed by having some pretty fantastic women to sew with and am hoping will share this writing space!

Retired means - ART QUILTS and CHICK PIX!

Other than that?  Same Hubs, Same Songbird daughter (who is just starting another major Karaoke contest so get ready for new music videos!) who is still part of the dynamic duo with Billy Bob Joe John, Jr. the THIRD.  Still Grandma to those 2 crazy Hoolarinas out in Arizona - Miss Molly and Miss Jocee.  Miss Molly just sent me a slew of photos of her in the tutu that was made for her for portrait shots with her baby sister.  Ya Ya (that's me) had a whole bunch of fun playing around with the photos art-wise and making a video in return of Miss Molly as a STAR MODEL!  Too much fun and too cute to bear.  Those who want to catch up on Miss MOlly (who is almost thru 1st grade I might add) can click on the link below to get a peek at "Good Golly, Miss Molly"

Critter list?

Hoolarina (Hoolie)  the Shorgie -half corgie/half German Shedder... and mighty silly looking, too.

Cullen - the proper Corgie... good thing he's cute cuz he's...well, let's just say he would ride the short bus to doggy school if there was such a thing.

Meiko- Our tiny but tough B/W Tuxedo Kitty who rules the house- the next old girl that we are going to lose but we are loving every day while we have her.

Dobby and Rajah - hellcat brothers, Wollenda circus act in feline form,  only four... and they live until 16?????????????????????????????????????

                     ...tha...tha...that's all, folks!   It's good to be back!  Pamela

 

 

An Unexpected Journey

It's a beautiful Sunday afternoon here in the Chicago 'burb that I reside in. Autumn is gliding in on the points of the orange and red leaves of the tree across from my studio window and the much-beloved school bus yellow is back in our world! There is much to catch up on within my Just Hatched world, I know... but not today.

Today has become a day of reflection that my heart says that I must share. I have been sitting in front of my sewing machine quietly quilting for a few hours with my head and heart trying to digest a documentary that I watched earlier today. I was taking a break from sitting up and just flipped thru Hulu like I normally do and instead of clicking on an episode of "House" or something else that would just slide thru my brain, LOL... I found a piece called "7 Days in September", clicked and then world stopped.

 So, while there is much to tell of the past few weeks here at JHP... there is more to say by sharing this incredible video. It is a collection of "home" movies by 27 folks of the events of Sept.11, 2001. As I said in my Facebook post - this so-called "Wordster" simply has no words. If you haven't seen it - do. If you think you don't have the time - make it. If you think you have seen everything you need to see on the subject - you're wrong. This is full of personal, immediate thoughts and images that are NOT of the "shocking/TV news" kind... but of the human, in the moment, this is my life kind.

Why am I sharing this? To be honest...because I never really knew the full extent of the whole disaster. At the time I was trying to shelter my young daughter as much as possible from the media images and sensationalization which also allowed me to "duck and cover". What is really odd for me is that the HISTORIAN in me collected the special Time issues, etc. for that same daughter to have in her "history chest"... Yeah, I know, other mom's collect table linens. I collect historical papers for her. LOL. So we have ALL of the information... but it's all nicely put away. Today, with this video, I took off the emotional blinders in a big way. Tonight I will watch this with that very same daughter...who is all grown-up now. I cannot even imagine the conversation afterwards, but I know we will have one.

You know, I quilt memories...to create them, save them, pass them on. Today was a very interesting lesson in not being afraid to gather them.

 Peace today to each of you. Pamela

 

Can It Really Be That Simple?

Life used to be...I don't know... simpler, i guess.  More "Mr. Rogers" and less "Kill Bill".  Did any of you grow up NOT knowing your next door neighbor's?  How about the one's next to them?  Anybody remember block parties? Seems that for many of us those things have fallen by the wayside; only memories now of our childhoods  as we all build fences to border our yards.  You know, Mr. Rogers- he was really on to something...    

 

 

 

 Or...take coloring, for instance.  When is the last time that you picked up a crayon?  Or wandered thru a park with no purpose other than to look at how many shades of green you could find?  When was the last time that you looked at anything with eyes other than your own?  Ah, that's the kicker, isn't it?  Who has time for THAT?  Most of us barely have time to live in our own crazy worlds none-the-less have time to spare for someone else's!! 

   Well, that's kind of what life had been getting like here in the Gregan household; a little spin crazy, shall we say?  Work starting up at the college again, the Songbird is  starting a new semester in school, the garage rebuild is going to be starting any day now, new quilt classes for JHP (YEAH!!!) and so on and so on...  but we had two special things to keep on the calendar.  Two weekends with new friends . One just passed and the other is coming up in September.  Now I don't know what traveling involves in your household, but in ours?  Ai, yi, yi.... puppy needs, dietary stuff, and don't forget my squishy pillow should sum it up.  LOL  And that isn't the craziest thing about this first visit!  The crazy part is that  the Hubs, the pup and I were making a 4 hr. drive to northern Wisconsin to spend the weekend with a "friend" of mine.  Yep, a friend... well, a quilt customer, actually.  We ended up passing a bunch of emails back and forth about the quilt that she was ordering and those evolved into emails about life and then we became Facebook friends and well, we HAVE talked ONCE on the phone... Yeah, her girlfriend said she was nuts too! LOL   "What?  ...and they're staying with you?  Are you crazy?"   Maybe a little.... 

THE FACEBOOK KITCHEN

I dunno... I've said it before - Facebook has become the "kitchen" for many of us... we grab a cuppa in the morning and fire up our laptops and all meet each other around the screen...  or maybe our schedules are more middle of the night - the cool thing is that it doesn't matter.  I can catch up with Carol and Sue no matter what the time even tho we are NEVER functioning at the same time for a long phone call.  And, this time, it allowed for Diane and I to become friends from 200 miles apart.  Can it REALLY be that simple?

 It seems that we are still wanting to be part of a neighborhood... still wanting to be part of a group, still wanting that particular closeness only we are no longer needing it to be next door!  Mr. Rogers must be spinning!  I know that my Mom just shakes her head every time she visits and the topic comes up of my circle of girlfriends: Samantha in GA, Phoebe in WI, Diane in WI, Jan in CA, Ruth in WI, Jodi in CO, Rachael in MA, Angela in TX, MB in AZ, and there's even Carol in Slovakia! (Please don't be mad if I didn't list you! Just trying to pull a random sampling, sisters!)  She doesn't understand how my close friends aren't well... close!  The last time she was here I tried to explain that I DO have friends who are close geographically ... I then added that the world has changed and my neighborhood is just different from hers. Her response was "Only if you let it."  WOW.

CAN IT REALLY BE THAT SIMPLE?

So... back to choices.  I decided for myself that it IS that simple.  I reconnected with a dear high school friend... after a week or two of "Do I really want to go back there?"  I realized that there IS no going "Back there"... there is only going ahead and inviting someone to go with you.  That is what she was doing and in accepting her most gracious invitation we have started the journey of a brand new friendship...one that I count myself most lucky and blessed to have.  Carol - D'akujem. I can't wait for more letters! :-)

And there is taking a chance on a brand new face in a whole new neighborhood... that is Diane... and the seeds for this whole post!  In a nutshell, Diane and her hubs are much like me and mine.  She and I both struggle with health issues, hubs both work wayyyy too many hours and then bear the brunt of the house upkeep.  We're all about the same age but this lovely woman and her husband have a delightful son, Jack, who is 7 and he is DOG CRAZY!!!  He does not have any grandparents so I am his "adopted Ya-Ya", a status that I wear very proudly.  So... off go the Hubs, the puppy and I for a weekender to northern WI.  ...

We spent the entire weekend chatting on the family room couches while Jack rolled around, ran around, and generally played litter mate to our 3 month old puppy, Cullen.  Glenn and Diane had never been around a Corgi so they were quite amused, to say the least.  Jack made great  progress with Cullen - he taught him to go up (and, more importantly) DOWN the stairs!  We went to an area Farmer's Market and bought luscious fresh fruits and veggies ..which we promptly made into salads whose recipes we shared. 

Then, best of all, we spent an entire evening coloring together.  Yep, every last one of  us. Coloring.  Stained glass dragons, snowflakes and even Erte' women were beautifully colored in and held up for perusal and opinions in front of the table lamps during the course of the evening.  Tessellated designs and knights in armor made appearances soon after as the puppy went from couch to easy chair making the snuggle rounds to each pair of arms.  Easy laughter and soft conversation slowly became gentle hugs and wishes for nights of blessed sleep.  Jack gave one last squeeze to Cullen and off we all went to snooze away the night.  If it could only always be that easy...

Diane and I both know that we took a chance but we had the faith to do so.  We took a chance on opening up to one another and it worked.  I know things don't always go that way, but I am awfully glad they did this time around.  My neighborhood got that much bigger and I am grateful.  I got the chance to see the world for just a little while thru the eyes of a precious little 7 year old boy... and ai, yi, yi was that a trip! LOL  Wouldn't have missed it for the world!  I have another visit much like this one coming up in September... I am looking forward in faith that it will be just as much fun... and my neighborhood will grow again....because yes, it really is that simple.  

I'll leave you with three things tonight... First - the wise words of Mr. Rogers....

I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you,  

I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

 
So let's make the most of this beautiful day,  
Since we're together, we might as well say,
Would you be mine?

Could you be mine? Won't you be my neighbor?

Secondly.... a little laughter with Jack and Cullen ....

And lastly,

            I wish you all great neighbors and wonderful friends
wherever they may be found.
Pamela

She Had Such A Beautiful Face... FROM THE STUDIO

Wowee, Zoweeeeee!  I want to thank everyone for all of their comments and emails in response to the Beautiful Face post... sure hit a nerve (both good and bad) with it!  If you haven't read it (or better yet, watched the video at the end - here's the link!  She Had Such a Beautiful Face! I've been getting suggestions as to quotes and ideas for the Beautiful Face quilt, as well as all of the artist's information about the print.  So, to set things straight right off the bat:  the art print that set this all in motion was one that  Sophie Anderson painted  in the late 1800's called "Take the Fair Face of Woman."  Here  are a few shots of the print itself:

 

Aren't the colors simply incredible?  The golds of her hair, the blues and greens in the butterflies and her eyes are simply riveting and are the colors that I have decided to build the quilt around.

Here are close-ups of the quilt  fabrics! 

 

And that blue actually has small metallic gold specks in it, too... mmmm, mmmm... gorgeous!

ADD some fancy stitching...

For embroidery, I've got some simple outlined butterflies and flourishes to pick up on her headpiece and handbag.  They are going to be used as a frame around the print and as corner pieces...

 

 

  

 Add a sparkling starfield of  REAL SWAROVSKI CRYSTALS to her gown and handbag... 

 

VOILA!  This is what she's going to look like....

"A Beautiful Face"

"A Beautiful Face"  Quilt Design by Just Hatched Production 2010

This is NOT going to be done in the Rag quilting style that Just Hatched normally does; rather this will be in the traditional quilting style.  I am also going to embroider a quote about beauty in the lower right hand corner of the portrait as it is actually a bit larger than the photo I have of it and so there is more "dead space" than the design shows.  I am open to ALL suggestions for quote!!!  I will leave that until the the very end so that purchaser may have as much chance as possible to have their own choice added to quilt.  Size of quilt: Approximately 63" x 70"   Price: $350  

       As of right now there is only going to be ONE of this design as the print in the middle was a one time only purchase so if you are interested please let me know as soon as possible.

      From the studio... Pamela

 

Life Is A Highway

  Life is a highway, by golly, yes, it is!  But it's also a sunny suburban avenue, a busy city boulevard and a scary,overgrown, one lane country road where branches screech and scrape against your car as you pass. The road of life is one we ALL have to travel but THIS redhead prefers the lure of the four-lane almost anytime! :-)

WHAT ROAD ARE YOU ON?

One of my favorite songs of all time is "Life is a highway", sung by Tom Cochrane.  (I've included it at the end of the blog for you!)   Anyhoo, I'm bringing it up for a couple of reasons; it seems like today is the day for all kinds of folks  heading off in new directions!  My granddaughter, Molly, is starting 1st grade today!  My friend Samantha's  three are off as well.  Poor Samantha;  no more "baby" at home and oh boy, the oldest is in JUNIOR HIGH! Talk about a Mom who is looking down a whole new road! 

 Another good friend of mine has spent the entire summer on pins and needles wondering if she was going to get the job transfer that she put in for in April.  Sure, it means that her and her daughter would have to pick up and move back across the country to where they originally came from 4 yrs. ago AND leave her 20 yr. old son here... but hey, Life is a highway, right?  But all summer it's been no news and no news and no news and then at the last possible minute... nope, sorry, don't need you.  All of the planning- up in smoke.  All of the excitement - popped like a balloon.  And so it goes...

" Life is a road you travel on, when there's one day here and the next day gone.              Sometimes you bend and sometimes you stand,  Sometimes you turn your back to the wind."

I grew up a trucker's daughter.  My Dad drove for a living.  When I was little he drove Charter Bus; he was the driver for the Harlem Globetrotters for a while!  I have postcards that he sent me when I  was a child from all over the country.  Then, when I was in 4th grade he became a truck driver, eventually buying two rigs and becoming an owner-operator.  All thru Junior High and High School I was able to go along with him on weekends, and school vacations.  We would play all kinds of pranks on each other and each year we would have a special weekend where we would leave early on a job to Murfreesborough, TN. and make a  day stop at what was then the Grand Ole' Opry Amusement Park.  He would do it with my Mom, then my sister and then me.  Mile after mile would roll under us, IL, IN, KY, TN, and so on.  My Dad would talk and talk, sharing stories of his life until I would fall asleep in my seat and he would make me crawl into the sleeper to  peacefully dream away knowing that his strong hands were holding tightly onto that steering wheel until the next stop.  To this day I can't resist truck stop food! LOL  My Dad logged over 4 million safe miles before he retired.  FOUR MILLION.  Blows my mind. 

"Through all these cities and all the towns, it's in my blood and it's all around.                     I love you now like I loved you then. This is the road and these are the hands..."

But what happens when you get knocked off of that safe, comfortable, familiar road?  When the smooth highway you've been traveling down becomes that scary, dark, overgrown and unknown  road? Or worse yet, when the road dang near disappears and you're up against a mountain on one side and a drop-off on the other?  How do you keep on driving, moving forward, surviving the trip?  I get asked that question all of the time.  Some of you have been wondering how I went from Pastor to quilter, how I deal with my illness, and "What is UP with the Just Hatched thing, anyway?"  Today  just seemed like a good day to tackle those questions and  "Life is a Highway" is a great way for me to answer! 

IN THE PROVERBIAL NUTSHELL

    Me, 1990's, living in Arizona,  2 kids, working as a full-time pastor of an inter-denominational church (whoo-whee what fun!)  Life was great...then the little creeping ailments of my childhood and teen-aged years started YELLING instead of showing up as the occasional loud whisper and after several years of diagnostic hell I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease.

Chick's Interuppted Buttons on Zazzle

For those of you who are not familiar with this lovely condition, just think of it as rust on your digestive tract... yup, not fun.  Now let's fast-forward to 10 yrs. later where I'm retired from full-time ministry,  in a new relationship, in Illinois and with a few other auto-immune diseases to boot!  Seems that if you have one the others like to join the party!   Well, I will be honest and tell you that I was plenty upset with THE Man Upstairs for a very long while... and it was thru the company and prayers of the man who would become "The Hubs" and some steadfast friends that I found my way back to a good road again, but Lordy, let me tell you...the Survival Highway is a road hard traveled.

"There's no load, I can't hold, Road so rough this I know,
I'll be there when the light comes in... tell 'em we're survivors."

Soooo, what now?  Well, I have been sewing since I was five years old.  I put myself through college designing and sewing formal wear;  there's lots of custom wedding dresses under these fingers! LOL  Then my art background blended with the sewing and I started making church banners and  the altar cloths which are known as paraments.  Then I started helping a friend in her fabric/Quilt store... then I made a cancer quilt for a friend.  Then two. Three. All of that was in the background until  THAT ONE DAY!  It was a VERY bad day, it was even STORMING outside it was so bad! (It really was, I swear!)    I was with my bible study group, Bible Babechicks , and had been grousing about "poor me, now what?".  Well, that night's study topic talked about folks who needed to start a whole new life.  (FUNNY, LORD... HA, HA, HA!)  It spoke about leaving old garbage behind and growing something new. (LA, LA, LA, I sang, with my fingers in my ears) because the Lord does NOT leave you stranded... (which I firmly believed but only for OTHERS, it seemed.).  And the Scripture verse that it was built around  was 2 Corinthians 5:17

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!"

This meant to me that if I was REALLY going to live my life in the faith that I professed I needed to dump that old attitude and look and see what God had ready for me to do!  (OK... so now get ready to laugh)  .... this little bible study group was taking place in a SEWING ROOM!!   

   I am a member of several Christian groups in the Chicago area so ministry is NEVER gone...and one of the things I share on a regular basis is what I like to call my  "Holy Spirit 2 x 4 moments".  That would be the times when I am being so dense that the Holy Spirit has to get my attention by symbolically whacking me upside the head!  That sewing room moment?  Yeah, a BIGGO 2x4 upside the head!   LOL  It was SO THERE... down to an illustration of a little chick coming out of it's shell!  Get it?  Babechick?  Just Hatched Babechick?  And so Just Hatched Productions was born in 2002.

       What do we do at JHP?  We have 3 main areas: Quilts, Embroidery and Church Textiles.  Our three websites vary a bit in what they cover: 

Just Hatched Productions  Our original website is currently undergoing a "re-hatching" but it contains our Baby blankets, Quilts, Church Banners and other religious embroidery art designs, Photo galleries and Custom Quilt Build(T-shirt, Photo and Memory) information areas.

 

Just Hatched Productions on ARTFIRE -   Our shop on ARTFIRE centers on our embroidered rag quilts, it also offers a wide selection of our embroidered center panels for quilters who want to add that special embroidered touch to their project!  Artfire is a great place for us because we have a photo gallery of projects that we've done and sold through this storefront and also custom projects that you can see!  It also offers a way for customers and artists to communicate if one would like a custom project made, allows for purchasing without having to "join" and here is where we can offer the largest variety of payment options!  All good things!  :-) 

JustHatchedQuilts   Is our ETSY storefront.  Please note that the name is a bit different and if you happen to go there on your own rather than thru a link on our sites that the name needs to be typed in without any spacing between the words.  Etsy wierdness.  :-)   Etsy is a bit more of a crafter's site and so while it carries the same quilts that our Artfire site has, we are loading many more embroidery squares to choose from here.  SO.... basically it's  ETSY= Embroidery & Quilts  and ARTFIRE = Quilts & Embroidery!!

Now,  WHAT kind of quilts do we do?   Our best known quilts are, of course, done in the country  styling known as "Rag Quilting".  Rag quilts have all the seams turned up towards the top and they gently fray like old blue jean hems throughout their lives as you wash them.  In other words, they just get more and more cuddle-y!  :-)   What makes OUR quilts stand out from all of the others is the fact that OURS have embroidery AND are all reversible!   When  most folks think about quilts they picture a really cool top design with all of the little pieces but when you turn the quilt over - one big old piece of fabric!  BORING!   At Just Hatched we make the back into an entirely new quilt!   It will either compliment the front design or be a duplicate - BUT it's done in flannel so the back is super soft and snuggle-y.  Two quilts in one!  However, we WILL make you a 'regular" quilt, if you insist!  :-)

 

Our other specialties are "T-shirt" and "Memory" quilts where photos, embroidery and clothing items are incorporated into a quilt or wall-hanging.  Again, we are a bit different from other quilting services that are out there; we like to embellish with custom embroidery designs and text, and we offer extensive photo services such as repair work on old photos, combining of multiple photos into one image and more.  If you'd like to see an example of one of our photo/scrapbook quilts please visit our YouTube channel at JHPQuilts  or click here to see And Then They Laughed - A Family Scrapbook Quilt

EMBROIDERY -  JHP has over 18,000 designs at our disposal... so trust me, we have something to fill your needs!  LOL  If we don't have it - I can digitize it!  I am also proud to say that we do portrait embroidery... yep, you have a photo of someone special?  I can, in most cases, make it into an embroidery design.  IN MOST CASES!  However, the images at this point are only done in B/W or vintage sepia.   JHP also offers custom logo design, etc.        (Photo /sewn digitized embroidery )

BANNERS - Does your faith family need a new banner?  At JHP we can make it!  We can even help you design a banner system to hang it in your sanctuary or to store them!!!   Is someone getting married? Baptized?  Confirmed?  Churches LOVE to receive new banners as gifts!   Brides and new Moms love to have their very own banners to commemorate the occasion.  We design banners of all sizes from 2 feet to 20!  ...and yes, we can duplicate a wedding invitation!  :-)   Click here to see a selection of JHP's  Just Hatched Productions Baptismal Banner Designs

BACK TO THAT HIGHWAY!

SO.... LIFE ... it is a heck of a highway!  Some of you '"met"  JHP at craft fairs over these past few years and we have loved meeting each and every one of you!   You may have noticed our absence this past year.  We've been on that scary country road for awhile.  Both of our Father's passed away from cancer, I was living part time in Arizona and part time here for 6  months while that was going on.  Since then the Hubs has had THREE knee replacements and twice I've had  nasty old rounds of pneumonia that wouldn't go away for 4 months.  We also had to say good bye to BOTH of our dogs.... all things which resulted in our working from home for the past year.  BUT it also resulted in a LOT of creativity coming to the forefront, the web-stores were expanded and OH MY, you should see the quilting studio!  Just Hatched continues to evolve; our banner area is back up and running after a bit of a hiatus and we are gearing up for a FULL FALL and HOLIDAY season of offerings on the websites!   If you are interested in a custom project please email me and let's put our heads together!  I can always be reached here or at pamela@justhatchedproductions.com.  The road twists and turns and we find ourselves back on that old FOUR LANE!!!   

THAT'S MY STORY AND I'M STICKIN' TO IT!

  I hope that explains this old Babechick's story a bit!  I am fortunate enough to have a wonderful HUBS who supports me and my ...ahem...hobby that grew into a whole lot of ROAD! 

 

    I am so very blessed to have met so many great folks on this road trip that I am on.  This blog, aptly named "Just Hatched, Just Thinking" is my way of sharing my stories; from the road, the studio, and from those great folks.   Like the song says: "Life is a highway, I want to ride it all night long.If you're going my way, I want to drive it all night long!" So jump on in, the motor's running! and we've got good tunes!  Who knows where we'll end up????   Pamela

Click here for road tunes!  :-)

Life is a highway

She Had Such A Beautiful Face

 

“Oh, yes,” I hear…”She had SUCH a beautiful face!”  …and I am once again flummoxed by those words.  They never cease to amaze me.  It somehow seems like the sum of one’s existence is being stated… and there are so VERY many ways that danged sentence is uttered!

 

Can't you just HEAR them???

  

 

WISTFULLY…. She had such a beautiful face….

SADLY… She had such a beautiful face….

CATTILY… She had such a beautiful face!   

HAPPILY… She had SUCH a beautiful face!

 

Funny how many meanings we can give the same 6 words, isn’t it?

 

BLAME IT ON THE INFOMERCIAL!

 

OK, so I’ll admit it… once again, a certain red-headed wraith was up until  the wee hours of the morning…with the TV on because a certain puppy had run away with the remote.  All well and good while they were showing a run of “Medium” episodes (Anyone out there besides me all beschm uggled by the casting of the show’s daughters??... Is that middle kid the milkman’s spawn, or what?  But  I  digress…)  ahem,  as I was saying, it  was all well and good as I relaxed doing some photo-work and watching Allison dream her way thru a few episodes.  But then the bloody infomercials began…

 

OOOH!   A steam mop!  And then ooooh!    …some kind of hellacious blender!

 And then …oooh!  You, too, can ONCE AGAIN have a beautiful face! 

  

Oh no, y ou didn’t!  OH yes, they did!  With promises of being a  ble to erase 10 years of wrinkles (spray here) , age spots galore  (like they  were never there!) and BEST of all… take 10 pound off just by strategic shadowing… because you know…. ONCE … you HAD such a beautiful face!   Oh poo-nanners!  Go powder yourself!

 

IT’S CALLED LIFE, BUCKO!

 

I’m willing to bet that most of us have heard it a time or two.  I know that in my circle of spectacular Babechick friends… it’s slapped a few of us around a time or two.    Take Ruth, for instance.  Divorced mom of two teenagers; teaching her high school heart out, working wayyyyy too many hours .… yeah… she had such a beautiful face until that marriage…but she found the strength to make it on her own and the journey there, well, it took it’s toll.   Poor Ruth…poor, poor Ruth.

    How about Melissa*?  She was a looker, that Missy!  OH… well, yeah, cancer treatments… yeah, they are rough…. Having to quit your job doesn't help any either...   What about Linda*?  Another beauty, always the true Church Lady… but when you loose a child so unexpectedly, well, it changes you.  And, let’s not forget Jill*…always such a command performer, wasn’t she?  Boy, you sure knew when she walked into a room… wait, what?  She’s been on those meds how many years??  Oh, no wonder she’s gotten so heavy.  Pity.  She had such a beautiful face, too.

 (*Names  changed to preserve privacy)

Yeah, we’ve all heard those words.  If we’re honest, we’ve probably said  them, too.   Funny thing, though, I don’t think of any of those women as any less beautiful today than “before”.   It’s life.  Sometimes we live it…and sometimes it lives us.  My friend "Poor, Old Ruth" over there  on the right is a better Babechick now than she ever was “before’…     Yeah… we HAD such beautiful faces… and buddy, we’ve only gotten better!

 

BECAUSE OF YOU…

 

         To honor all of my “Babechick” friends I am going to make a quilt out of this beautiful printed “Butterfly Fairy” piece which was done BY another of my Babechick friends!  The lovely FeeBeeDee   of Etsy fame  listed this and I promptly snapped it right up! 

           It was this piece of art stewing in my imagination along with that danged infomercial that got this whole post going so blame FEEEBEEE if you don’t like it!  Tee, hee, hee.

 

      I’ll be posting photos as I go along of the design.  I’m not sure what’s going to happen to it then… any ideas, Ladies?   I do know that the title is going to be….

 

“A Beautiful Face!”

 

From one Babechick to all of you other beautiful faces…. Pamela

 

 

PS... SInce folks are still finding their way over to the new blog we have decided to extend the deadline on the Nautical/Beach/Lighthouse quilt theme giveaway to September 1, 2010.   Please read post and give us YOUR suggestions!!  Pamela

 

 

 

Cancer Sucks. Wanna Do Something About It?

For the umpteenth time THIS MONTH I received yet another post from a friend on Facebook that read "CANCER SUCKS!".  This time it's the Aunt of a long-time friend who is losing her battle with breast cancer. Last week it was a brother with kidney cancer. The week before a child with brain cancer...it never stops.  Emily is gone.  Tim is gone.  My Father-in-Law...gone.  My Father - gone in less than 5 months!   Pancreatic, testicular, prostate, liver...cancers all and I'm bloody tired of it.

        My Dad

The one way that I "fight" back is by making a quilt that can go with folks into treatment;  it's small enough to fit over wheelchairs and on gurneys yet big enuf to snuggle under. It's made to be signed with messages of love and encouragement by friends and family.  And I'd like to build a stash of them to give away as a way to FIGHT BACK!!

I'd like  to throw a series of CANCER SUCKS! SEWING PARTIES....I have the sewing room, the machines, the fabric and the time.  Even if YOU can't sew- I can teach you... or you can cut, or assemble or be the comic entertainment!!  COME and QUILT... you'll learn how to rag quilt for FREE and have a great time with other folks who are as PO'd at cancer as YOU are!  We can make pink, and purple and blue and teal and.....

 

All quilts will be signed by ALL the folks who put in time and everyone will get a letter when one goes out as a donation to a special someone in need.

I am open to weekend, daytime and evening sessions... just tell me when YOU can come and I will group folks into "PARTIES"...  Come once, or come until you make a whole quilt... just COME!   

We promise that there WON'T be a dull moment! LOL

If you aren't in the area and would like to contribute towards materials please comment and let me know and I will send out a paypal invoice.. Any amount would be appreciated!  Your name will be added to the quilts as well!

COME ON....CANCER SUCKS!.... Make a quilt... .Make a difference!

All of the Little Decisions - GIVE-AWAY!!!

Up too late, power out in the middle of the night, cranky puppy that would NOT go to sleep and just one too many nights on the couch for the daughter.  Too much paperwork, lost computer files, two too many days on bed rest for the Momma.  Add 'em together and well...we've all been there now, haven't we?  But we managed to get thru it by staying on our own floors of the house and then she left to go to the beach with her BFF, KB.   Suddenly my home got immeasurably bigger and the air was cooler and yes... I think I even heard angels singing.  The hours passed and I got involved in my own work and then "DING"  ... my phone went off; I had a text message.  Well, no.. what I really had was this:

 

Funny how fast things can change, isn't it?  Suddenly that CHILD that I wanted to strangle had once more become the generous and loving young woman that I enjoyed sharing a home with...  Yes, I AM a sap, but I am so very glad that I am.  As Natalie and KB sent me photos from their phones it started all kinds of ideas flowing so hang on tight because you ARE along for the ride!

  Check out where they spent their day:Chicago lakefront   Loyola/Rogers Park

Yeah... hard not to hate, isn't it??? LOL... and it was a THURSDAY! 

Oh, you should meet KB and her special guy, Mike.  

KB and Natalie went to HS together and now both are doing the nursing thing and Mike? Well, he got to escort two tall redheads to the beach today.

Michael is one very happy man....

  Once they sent me the first few pix ... my crazy brain was off and running!  I asked them to send me photos of what they thought was cool at the beach... just to see what I would get back.  Now... stay with me, OK?  I PROMISE a good payoff for your efforts!!  Here is what came back... (thank you, Lord, for camera phones!!!!)

A Dog playing in the waves, and a pretty cool sand sculpture were the first things that came in.  You  know, the obvious "I was at the beach" photos that we all take.

  

  

  And then they started to see things a little differently...
 

And they started to send me shots that they thought I would have some fun with...even if it meant simply changing waves from color to black and white.  Because  I could.

And then there was this cool family shot that begged to be played with

(stay with me...)

And Natalie's feet in the surf...

But the one that topped it all off is this one... 

Why this one?  Out of all the things there are to look at, to experience, to touch and see and smell at the lakefront why was this little shell so fascinating that BOTH girls took photos of it? 

You know, it wasn't until I took the color out of the photograph that it grabbed me and made me look twice. There was just something about the clarity of the shell against her hand and then the graininess of the sand below. I can almost FEEL the sand under my toes when I look at this photo! There is just something about the...exactness...of this photo that just gets my creative juices going.

407 SPOOLS & NOWHERE TO GO

I guess that is what fascinates me about machine embroidery; the exactness of it.  I can take all of my computer skills and my 407 spools of thread (I counted) and stitch this into existence on a quilt, a pillow or whatever it is that someone would like. I get to paint with thread and it is a BLAST!  But... here is where I hit the wall!!!  I TOLD YOU it would be worth your wait!

Let's REALLY get in the "nautical mood" shall we?  CLICK the bar below for some Sailin' music!

03 Vahevala

GIVE-AWAY *** GIVE-AWAY *** GIVE-AWAY

Here is our problem: I have about 120 gorgeous "nautical/east coast/lighthouse/beach/ship" embroidery designs.  I have gorgeous fabric to match each of the above designs... I have been duly inspired by the wonderful photographs that BOTH of my "daughters" took today... BUT I CAN'T make up my freaking mind which to do first! LOL  I'm like a kid in a candy store... SO the HUBS came up with an absolutely GRAND idea - LET YOU PICK!  I like it! Here is the deal:  We're going to give away one of the three options below  (Winner's choice)

A) AN EMBROIDERED THROW PILLOW IN THE WINNING DESIGN, OR

B) A $50 CREDIT TOWARDS A QUILT IN THE WINNING DESIGN, OR

C) A COORDINATING FAT QUARTER FABRIC ASSORTMENT WITH AN EMBROIDERED DESIGN PANEL OF THE WINNING QUILT DESIGN

YOU have to tell us which one you want and why!  SO peek at the fabrics and use YOUR "beach brain" and tell us if it should be:

1. _{LIGHTHOUSES, LIGHTHOUSES & DID I MENTION LIGHTHOUSES? or}
2. _{SHIPS & OLD MAPS, or}
3. _{BEACHES, BAYS & BUOYS}

We'll take your comments/choices until the 15 of August and then... the HUBS will pick!  Can't wait to hear what YOUR ideas are!!!   

WE HAVE EXTENDED THE DEADLINE TO SEPTEMBER 1, 2010 DUE TO THE RE-LOCATION OF THE BLOG.... HAPPY VOTING!   TELL YOUR FRIENDS!  :-)

Happy imagining!  (Aren't you glad you came along for the ride???)  Pamela

Participants will choose one of the three fabric assortments above: Lighthouses, Ships, or Beaches and tell us why Just Hatched should make their next quilt from that chosen assortment.  Participant will also state which of the following items they would like if they win: an embroidered pillow,  $50 coupon towards the new quilt, or a quilter's package of fabric and embroidery panel in winning design.

Babechick In A Brand New Barnyard

I'm So Excited

CLICK ABOVE!  ...gotta have a soundtrack!

I'm so excited, I just can't hide it... I'm about to start a brand new blogging life in a brand new barnyard (so to speak) LOL. " Babechick on the loose...babechick on the loose!" should be in biggo red letters across the top of this post but I'm trying to add just a bit of restraint.  Remember later that I only said "Trying."  :-)  I've been blogging on my Artfire Store site for a few months now but I've been encouraged  to "Hatch" and bring my scratchings into a real blogging venue... SO  HERE... I ...IS!

My "bio" at the top is pretty straight on but the real me in a nutshell is this: <deep breath> Kids/grandkids critters quilting teaching trying not to snort when I laugh whupping the HUBS butt on any wi-fi game on our iPhones exploring my faith  (still...yet...always) meeting other fabric artists collecting bracelets Parrish art growing my knowledge base in photo/graphics still with the snorting and the ever present search for the perfect night's sleep....I'm breathing, I'm breathing!

IN MY HOUSE

Here in the windy city 'burbs we have a crazy household of "The Hubs", me, and my youngest daughter, Natalie.  I'm a native cheesehead, Hubs is a Cowboy. Met in AZ now live in the Chicago burbs...where he is simply a child fascinated with all of the colors of GREEN!!!!!!!  This photo of my beloved Mr. Ben "surfing" ON a friend's boat "up nort"says it all! 

 

                           THE OTHER REDHEAD

Natalie, nicknamed "Songbird" is our youngest daughter; we have many adventures together and I'm loving having her home again.  She's also working full time and is growing a relationship with her BF, Joe,  who all but lives here (whom we adore).   Joe's family name is Billy Bob Joe John Jr., the third,  but WE call him Billy Bob Joe John for short.  (Man, I wish I could see the look on your face right now! )  Why? Because when my cowboy Hubs was faced with this lovely young Polish man's last name he about fainted... check the archives if you want a good giggle; they'll be up soon! Natalie is back home attending college; she changed from vocal theatre to NURSING... follow the passion, we say. 

LIONS, AND TIGERS, AND BEARS, OH  MY!

 I also admit to being totally critter crazy. We have a small problem tho; the Hubs is a Cat person while I am a "Woof" woman, myself.  So we compromise and have BOTH! lol  We just removed all carpeting and vacuum everyday... every...day.  Like I said... critter crazy.    We have 2 puppies; a crazy Shorgie mix (um...that's a German Shedder- Corgi party), she's named Hooli!  LOL, and a little Corgi boy named Swatch!  ...and a passle of seriously old kitties who we'll be saying goodbye to soon, sigh.  The Songbird's two kitty boys are also residing with us; they are known as "THE BOYS"... said with fear and trepidation.

 

THE HOOLARINAS!

Jocelyn & big sister, Molly

We left our families behind in AZ and that includes our Moms, eldest daughter,  Briana, and our 2 HOOLARINA granddaughters... Hoolarina, you ask??? What the heck is a Hoolarina???  Why it's  a combination of a hooli-gan and a ballerina!  And THAT is the perfect description of a little girl who wears Carhartts and cowboy boots with her tutu's and fairy wings while playing safari hunter out in the backyard!  

 

  AH YES, JUST HATCHED PRODUCTIONS... (Usually known as JHP)

Hmmm, what else? I have a great quilt studio built into the house where I design quilts, create memory quilts, design and create church banners and paraments large and small and (most fun of all) teach quilting and machine embroidery to other crazy crafters like ME!  Best way to understand JHP?   LOL...well, everyone seems to like my "rules":

1) Laughter is a part of every project.

2) Experiment? Heck, yes!

3) If you sew fast enough it IS aerobic exercise!

4)That screen door  and squirt bottle hanging from it keep the critters out- Close the first and Use the second!  As you can see, however, it did NOT keep that pesky RUTH out....

Here's are our shops!

Just Hatched Productions on ARTFIRE

Just Hatched Quilts on ETSY 

Just Hatched Productions FANPAGE on FACEBOOK

SO.... that's my world.   I write about whatever is happening in it... quilts, kids, Crohn's, or cats...it's a crap shoot, as they say, but I'd sure like to have you along for the telling of it.  Rodeo on!  Pamela