Free Redwork BOM - January

Some of you know that I planned a Redwork BOM series for 2009 and most likely have been wondering when I'd get to it, right? Well, here I am in the month of January just by the skin of my teeth!

First let me say that this will NOT be a year long snowman BOM! I had to get that out of the way because it seems there are a LOT of free snowman BOM's out there this year. Each design will be month-appropriate but each will be different designs. I'm hoping that I've done the scanning properly and by clicking on the picture you will be able to print off the design each month or save it to your desktop. I intend to test this myself right after I finish posting. I also intend sometime in the next few months to learn how to create .pdf images for my designs. I know some embroiderers or collectors of patterns prefer images to be .pdf images. Keep your fingers crossed I can figure it all out, okay?

UPDATE: this image works fine if you save it and then print in the Irfanview program and it may work in other image programs as well. However, when you click on the above picture and directly print it, it prints too large and cuts off the date and month name at the bottom.

I have figured out how to make this design a pdf file. However, I have not figured out how to imbed it so the link uploads right here. Click on this link and it will take you to the Scribd site where you can print this design out in the exact size I intended:

January Block

For saving designs what works for me on other BOM sites is to right click on the enlarged picture and then click "save as" and save it to my desk top. I actually have a folder called "To Print" on my desktop. Then later I open the image in a free program called Irfanview. There you can make the image any size you want. If you do not have Irfanview on your computer do a google search for it and download it. It doesn't take much disk space and is an incredibly useful program. I use it for all designs and, by the way, mostly print off my patterns in a size that will fit within a 7 square inch space. That way I can cut my fabric for embroidery 9" or 10" square and trim it up later to fit a project. Another plus of the program is that you can flip images, enhance them and also crop portions of designs when there's full pages and you only want to print one.

I must give some credit to my dh, aka G, who had to help me a smidge with this design. He's always there for me when I'm drawing up designs. His background in art has been very helpful in many ways for the last 41+ years!

I hope you like my goofy January snowman. He can be done in true redwork, bluework or even in colors. In a few days I will post my finished block for you all to see. To say I'm a little behind would be an understatement!

Next month's design will be something totally different. I'll give you one hint.......do you know what kind of quilter I am?

Get Stitchin!

I'm Back & Out of Hiding

I'll bet most everyone has given up on me, but in case there's still a few readers of my two blogs who have hung in there, today I'm back trying to get with my normal routine. I've actually been back in California since Christmas, but the holidays, including New Year's sort of slid by me. Except for the non-verbal postings of Christmas and New Year's greetings, I'll admit I've been hiding, not just from you all, but from the world at large.

My only brother, Stewart Lisle Sterling, Jr, who was an voracious reader, went to read with the angels on December 21, 2008. In his last days he was surrounded by family (wife, 3 sons, a daughter, her husband and G and I. He, along with all of us, were given tremendous support by the amazing angels of Hospice. Although not an easy experience for any of us, we managed to have some valuable family time of re-connecting, sharing and love. Not to mention some awesome meals mostly cooked by one of my nephews who is a fireman and an awesome chef!

A few days ago on January 25th it would have been Stew's 79th birthday. He was 12 years older than me; yes, I will be 67 in April. Our 2 parents both lived to be older (84 and 91). That fact and the reality of his being gone so fast after the cancer diagnosis in October was a shock to all of us. He was "my rock" and not a day goes by still that I don't think of something to ask him or tell him. There's a huge hole in my heart and life. But in the past week I've been feeling him nudging me to get on with my life.

So! Here I am. This morning I finally searched down the pictures of my brother that I needed to find. I have to send an obituary to the newspaper in our home town in Minnesota and that will be my last sad task. I've been very bad at procrastinating over all this. I know he would understand, but also would scold me for it.

Below I have added some pictures that I found today. On the left is Stew at 2 in 1932. On the right is his graduation picture in 1948. The picture below was taken by G in October 2008 when we were visiting him and his wife.

I know he was proud of the fiber art work that I've been doing for some years now. In addition to the embroidered portrait of his 2 Chaussie cats I recently finished and sent to him, I also some time ago made a southwest style pillow/cushion for him and his wife as a gift. I know he showed it off some because after I got home I received a message from one of his friends and she told me how he showed her my fiber work when she and her husband visited recently. I have pictures of that pillow somewhere and I am going to try to find it and add it below. I may have to put it in a separate post; I'm a little out of practice with this blogging stuff!

Stitch on my friends!