Pegasus Quilt Wall Hanging

This pegasus quilt wall hanging is in memory of my father, Stephen A. Chinderle, or as most people knew him by his nickname...SAC. It's hard to believe he has been gone 6 years today. I often wonder what he would ask me to sew him if he were still alive since I didn't sew back then. So, my wonderings led me to this project in his memory.

A few months before my father passed away, he asked my grandmother to make 30 of these ceramic pegasus figurines for the friends he worked with at Mobil Oil Corporation, actually now ExxonMobil. Unfortunately, he died before my grandmother could give them to him. You can imagine how heartbreaking this felt to look at all of these figurines and wonder exactly what my dad wanted to do with them.

Of course, he wanted one in his daughter's sewing room! ;-) My dad loved the pegasus image and the color red. I know he would have asked me to make something with those two elements.

So, here it is! A perfect (well maybe not totally perfect) pegasus quilt wall hanging! I had a great time reminiscing about my father while I sewed this together. I was reliving and appreciating the good times!

And I was smiling while working on my free-motion quilting!

Thank goodness for Skype! My family and friends who live back home helped design the format for the back. I'm positive that was my dad's touch. On a side note, this was the perfect application of a math standard (communicate mathematical ideas using multiple representations and language) as my family was forced to describe where and how to move the half-square triangles without touching them!

All in all, I'll probably always feel like my dad was taken from us too soon, but then again, I'll always appreciate the 23 years of life we did get to spend together.  I know he's smiling down from Heaven!

"Flow Zone" Block of the Month: April

It's time for April's Block of the Month! This month was Karen's choice, and she has selected the...

*Double Monkey Wrench*

Karen has introduced a new element to the fun...half-square triangles! Yay!

Click here for the block instructions.

I can't wait to see the photos of your magnificent blocks in the Flickr group. Don't forget that you can comment on the photos, too!

Also, the group is going to have its 1st happy hour! We will meet at JT's in Cedar Park on April 24th at 5:00. Hope you can make it!

Here's my finished April block:

Fabric Bookmarks

I love a good bookmark. I also love that I had a perfect reason to make some this month! :-) 

The LISD math team was published in the ATPE (Association of Texas Professional Educators) News magazine! This quarterly magazine goes out to 110,000 educators across the state of Texas. You can imagine the grin on my face when I saw our article.  In fact, I knew this 2-page feature had to be sent to my mother and two grandmothers. 

Thank you, Carol and Doug Rogers, for making sure that I had multiple copies for my loved ones.

Of course, these magazines are now equipped with a 'Bettina Danger Bookmark' so everyone can quickly turn to page eight!

And yes, the bookmark is complete with a Bettina Danger logo affixed to the side for good luck!

Don't you think a handmade bookmark is a sweet way to feature something special?!

Next time you send or gift a book, magazine or journal...don't forget the bookmark!

Free-Motion Quilting at QuiltCon

A few weeks ago, I attended QuiltCon, presented by the Modern Quilt Guild, at the Austin Convention Center. I could only attend on Saturday but that's better than nothing, right?! On another note, I wish I had more photos to share of the QuiltCon event, but I washed my cell phone yesterday with my jeans. Opps! That's what happens when you procrastinate on getting a blog post up. 

Regardless, I attended Elizabeth Hartman's 'Free-Motion Quilting on a Home Machine' class and here are some photos of the sample swatches that I quilted as I transferred my learning:

I still can't stop reflecting on what a wonderful learning experience I had that day. Elizabeth is amazing. She gave several mini-lessons throughout the workshop, gave the students time to practice and apply new learning after the mini-lessons, walked around giving individual descriptive feedback, and recognized that everyone was at varying levels of understanding in regards to the topic. Differentiation was addressed by her simply giving permission to spend more time on designs that we felt we needed to practice on more. All of that, and she didn't even have a handout! See, who needs a worksheet! ;-) In all seriousness, learning how to sew has become an incredible model of learning in my eyes. Even at this workshop, my intrinsic motivation was high as I left the class with my performance of understanding...

Eventually, I'm going to have to do something fun with this practice piece!

Lastly, I was unable to attend the lectures at QuiltCon, but then I discovered that you can watch some of them on Craftsy for FREE! Now you can enjoy these amazing lectures snuggling next to your kitty and eating popcorn! *Purespringbreakawesomeness* Seriously, check 'em out!

Now, I am off to put one of these free-motion designs to use! Happy SXSW and Spring Break everyone! If you are downtown on Saturday, Henry (Henry + The Invisibles) is playing at the Tiniest Bar in Texas and Wuwufest on 7th and Onion. Hope to see you out and about! :)

"Flow Zone" Block of the Month: March

Super thrilled to announce the March "Flow Zone" BOM! This month was Carol's choice and I promise she did not let us down!

I don't know if this block has a name, but it was the January block last year for the Sew, Mama, Sew's Modern Block of the Month by Alissa Haight Carlton. Check out this impressive block!

Here is my finished block. I can't wait to be impressed by everyone else's interpretation!

And...Don't forget to post your photos in the Flickr Group! Ready, set...SEW!

STROBE 2.0

If you've ever been to a Henry + The Invisibles show, you probably remember a "special guest from a far away planet" who sings 'Only Human'. A few years back, Henry Roland asked me to make a puppet that was silver with an alien shaped head. That same night, STROBE was born. Since this night, our beloved STROBE has performed at hundreds of shows and over time, he gradually lost his luster. Inevitably, STROBE needed reconstruction. So without further ado, I introduce to you a new generation of STROBE...STROBE 2.0!

STROBE 2.0

Here is the original STROBE with his stuffing taken out. 

This photo shows STROBE and STROBE 2.0! Both puppets are made out of the same fabric. 

You can see that his luster is lacking and the mouth board needed repair from all of the singing!

 

Construction began!

Time to add the brains!

He's almost done. One special thing is missing...

Henry gave STROBE's old glasses a spit shine. No, I'm not joking.

As you can see, it was an emotional moment taking the glasses off! STROBE is a solid member the Phunk Fam! He's brought many laughs, joys, and heart-warming moments to the H + TI shows.

I felt much better as soon as I placed STROBE's old eyes on the new puppet. It reminded me of the saying, "The eyes are the window to the soul." 

We look forward to many new memories with STROBE 2.0!

Click here to listen to the song, 'Only Human'!

Warren's Best Friend

Last year, when my cheerful friend Maggie was expecting her first baby, she asked me to create a puppet for him. Since she was expecting a boy, she requested a boy puppet, but left all of the creativity up to me! She trusted me to design a friend that would be perfect for her little boy, Warren.

So, I kept asking myself, "Where do I begin?" Well, if you know Maggie, she glows with enthusiasm. Since she is such a bright and bubbly person, I knew I had to parallel her high-spirited energy! I happily introduce to you "Warren's Best Friend"! All the way from Pooga Planet (the place in space where all my puppets originate)...Welcome to the world, little one!

What's not to love about this little guy? 

"Warren's Best Friend" is complete with a bright teal t-shirt, baseball cap, and lime green hair! Besides constructing his body, I really enjoyed sewing up the accessories. To take a vision in my mind and produce that vision with my own two hands is ultimate fulfillment. 

He's very confident, creative and has no problem expressing his emotions! 

All of my puppets are complete with their very own birth certificate! Actually, it's a birth album, known as "Birth of a Puppet"!

I know Maggie will use this puppet to the fullest! Her son, Warren, has lots of puppet play time in his future. Did you know that puppets are a wonderful and different way to interact with your baby? You can play peek-a-boo, read stories, laugh and talk! All of those things are perfect ways to introduce social interaction at a young age. I can't wait to hear about all the fun Maggie and Warren are going to have!

If you like this puppet, please like my Bettina Danger Facebook page! Send me a message and you could have one of these cuties in your own home!

"Flow Zone" Block of the Month: February

I am full of pure joy today as I share with you the incredible February "Flow Zone" Block of the Month-Jeananne's Choice...

*Carrie Nation*

The instructions are found here on Quilter's Cache.

Ready, set, lock your seams! This block is just what we need to practice making those seams match perfectly. Jeananne, you did good! :)

Here's my February "Flow Zone" Block of the Month! 

I've made a group on Flickr so you can simply upload your photos to the group as soon as you finish. If you click on the link, you can see that I already put in the January blocks. Let me know if you need help or have any trouble! I can't wait to see everyone's February blocks! 

"Flow Zone" January Blocks!

I'm so proud of all of the January Blocks from the "Flow Zone" Block of the Month! So far, 8 people have made the January block and here are the finished products! We definitely are learning and talkin' shop. Jeananne even brought her cutting tools to give a quick tutorial and share her tips and techniques! 

Bettina's Block

Jeananne's Block

 

Carol's 1st Block

Carol's 2nd Block! Such an overachiever! ;-)

Karen's Block

Shannon's Block

Linda's Block

Chandler's Blocks

Pam's Blocks

I hope you can inquire from all of this *splendid block gorgeousness* that we can't wait for February's block...Jeananne's choice! Anyone out there who wants to join our learning community, it's never too late. If you finished a block, just send me a picture of your block and I can add it to this post!

"Flow Zone" Block of the Month: January

I'm so excited to share with you the January "Flow Zone" Block of the Month January Quilt Block...

*Antique Tile*

Fresh Lemon Quilts by Faith has a free tutorial for this block. Click here for the tutorial!

I also found this link to another free tutorial.  Click here for the other tutorial!

If you need some inspiration for how to layout the fabrics for your block, here is an image search on Google for 'antique tile quilt block'. Click here to see the results!

Do you need anything else? Let me know! I can give more detailed descriptions for certain steps if you are having trouble. Let's learn together.

Here is how my block turned out!  

I picked these fabrics from my Notting Hill by Joel Dewberry fat quarter bundle. Of all the prints, these felt like January to me! :)

We can't wait to see everyone's January Antique Tile Block! Comment below with any questions or celebrations! I know many of us are on twitter... #flowzoneBOTM

Also, please join in anytime! Here's the introduction post if you want more information.

Stay tuned for the February "Flow Zone" Block of the Month! It's Jeananne's choice!

"Flow Zone" Block of the Month Introduction

Up in the second floor of the administration building for Leander ISD, there are a bunch of passionate people working together to do their part to improve student learning. After working up in this office for over four years, I also realized another special thing...these kind people are seriously creative! In fact, one very special lady, Jeananne, is the reason I started quilting! She handed me a pattern and said, try it out. Those three little words are what I am now inviting you to do this year...

Here's how this is going to work:

• Jeananne and I, along with Carol, Shannon, Karen B. and Laura are going to host a "Flow Zone" Block of the Month for any LISD peeps...past and present! We picked "Flow Zone" because it is the nickname for our office space! No, we won't be making quilt blocks during work time...this is purely a night and weekend *on your own time* community building experience!
• Each month a different host (named above) will design and/or pick their own block for the quilt. I'll post a link to every block on this blog tab so you can join in on the fun! You don't have to be a host to participate! By the end of the year, you will have 12 blocks to be made into a quilt!
• Here are the people who will be selecting blocks each month:
• January-Bettina
  February-Jeananne
  March-Carol
  April-Karen
  May-Laura
  June-Shannon
  July-Carol
  August-Bettina
  September-Jeananne
  October-Karen
  November-Shannon
  December-Laura
• Each block will be 12 1/2 inches squared.
• Materials Needed: 12 1/2inch square ruler (for squaring up your blocks), rotary cutter, cutting mat, 6 x 24 inch ruler, basic sewing supplies (machine, thread, seam ripper, scissors, etc.)
• Fabric needed: It's hard to say, but we recommend 1-2 yards of 3 or more of your favorite print fabrics and a few yards of a solid fabric that matches OR a stack of coordinating fat quarters and a few yards of a solid fabric that matches. This doesn't include the back or binding, but you could buy extras for that or you could just make those scrappy.  Here's what I am using:

A stack of fat quarters from Notting Hill by Joel Dewberry

Here's another photo...I also have a few yards of a solid white fabric to match! Comment below to share what fabric you are using or if you have other suggestions.

• Jeananne recommends before beginning: wash your fabric, then iron with a little spray starch (this gives your fabric some body and makes for nicer cutting and sewing)...if you have already cut your pieces for your first block without this step, it's ok...on your future blocks, start with this and see if you notice a difference. 

I will be posting the first block tomorrow just in time for the weekend! ;-) From there, we will post a new block the 1st week of every month. In December, I will link instructions for finishing off the quilt (making a quilt sandwich, binding, etc). We will definitely end the event with a show off your quilt Christmas party! For long distance folks, we will be doing FaceTime at the party!

Okay! We look forward to having fun and learning with each other this year! *2013* We hope you'll join us and spread the word to anyone who might be interested! :)

Come on Ride the Train!

Or at least hang out with Thomas the Train and his friends! This beautiful, gorgeous quilt is specially made for my dear cousin's little girl, Kendall. She absolutely adores Thomas the Train, but if you know Thomas the Train, he is blue and red! Big problem here...Kendall loves pink! 

The front of the quilt has a variety of Thomas the Train fabrics mixed in with a neutral gray to make the pink and red fabrics stand out. At least that's a tip I just learned in my Craftsy class by Elizabeth Hartman. The binding is mainly a bright pink with a few pieces of the coordinating red fabrics from the front.

The quilt back is made of a bright pink minky fabric. When making the quilt sandwich, I used batting so this quilt is extra snuggly for the winter!

Process photo! Keeping my rows organized for sewing each row.

Of course, I quilted squiggly train tracks throughout the entire quilt with bright pink thread. Notice the Thomas the Train fabric as well...it's so cute! 

Here is a better picture of how it looks with the super soft-snuggly-let me cuddle with Thomas-minky back fabric. I thought that using the minky fabric would be extra hard to quilt, but it was not a problem...it just took time. I also love the train tracks. If I was a kid again, I would get out my toy trains and play all over the back of this quilt! Overall, I hope that sweet Kendall loves it! :)