HAPPY 2010

Christmas 2009 is now just a great memory. It seems like every year the time just flies away once we get to Christmas Eve and Day. I hope everyone got what they asked Santa for. I did, but mostly I recieved the greatest of gifts,  love and time with family and friends. Looking back on all the great conversations, laughter, chaos, food and lack of good sleep..ahh that is what I will remember. I hope you all had a Christmas experience that made you happy.
Now on to a new year!!!! Wow, 2010...I'm not sure I can get my mind around that number quite yet...I'm sure I will be still writing 2009 for a few months yet. It takes longer to sink in these days. I have nothing to show or tell about this time. No photos of completed projects, but I will be ringing in the new year cleaning my Studio. It becomes the dumping ground for everything that needs a temporary home..gifts needing wrapping, wrapping supplies etc. I also have bits and pieces remaining from last minute projects that I need to sort out. I think I will put in one of my favorite movies and start digging in. Maybe a pot of tea will help as well.
I must stay away from all the Christmas sweets that remain in my house,tho. They seem to call out to me and I must resist. Why can't I like celery and carrots instead???? It is a good thing that my Studio is far away from the kitchen...well not that far ... so I will just have to talk myself out of indulging. Wish me luck with THAT!!
I hope you all have a Happy and Safe New Years Celebration.
Welcome 2010 and all its possibilities. Cheers.

Brrrrr..The weather outside is frightful, but the Studio is delightful!

We are in a deep freeze here in Western Washington. It has been below freezing for a few days now. Great days to stay indoors and work on those Christmas projects. I have now finished all of the BunnyHill Designs
"A Tisket A Tasket" block of the month blocks. I am ready to sew them all together with sashings and borders. It will have to wait until I have a few more Christmas gifts made. I may save it for a New Years Day project.

I spent most of today sewing a very cute apron and pot holder for a good friends' gift. I really think it turned out adorable!!!! My opinion only, ofcourse. I hope the recipient will agree.  This pattern was easy and I think I will make more. I have some vintage kitchen curtain fabric that I have been waiting to make something fun with and I think this will be the pattern. I will post a picture, ofcourse!!

Last weekend my husband Steve and I celebrated our 40th wedding anniversary!!!! I can't believe that 40 years went by so fast. We had a nice day in the city and special dinner out.

Hope you are all enjoying the season!!! Cheers.

Giving Thanks!!

Well here it is 2 days until Turkey Day. I'm really getting into the spirit of the holidays now. Christmas music on the radio keeps me company as I gather the supplies to make those gifts that I need to get started. I've made my list, at least.
 I have finished the November Tisket Tasket block and want to share this one right away. It is a cute one!!! Well thats all for this week..I wish a Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Home Sweet Home

I have been away for a couple of weeks having fun in the sun in Arizona. It was a great trip and I enjoyed seeing Zion and the Grand Canyon (yes we drove!!!!) and such a different landscape from here in the NW. It was great to spend time with good friends and share their lifestyle for a short time.

I missed home and family and friends, though, and I'm glad to be back with what is familiar and comforting about home. Now I have to get busy and get those Christmas gifts started. Why do I wait until 35 days before Christmas to start my projects? It seems that I am a last minute girl...each year I vow to start earlier but alas I just can't seem to manage it.

I have finished another A Tisket A Tasket block, block 9 and block ten is nearly finished. Also I have been captured by the new French General group from Moda, "Rouenneries". I am totally in love with this group!!! I finally found the pattern I like and can't wait to start it. Now, can you see how easily I get distracted from the tasks at hand? I guess I will have to make myself stay focused but I really want to play with the new fabric. Maybe if I make a list?

Count down to Christmas!! I will keep you posted on my progress.

Cheers

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Ahhh..Fall

I'm so happy to hear rain on the roof, see falling leaves blowing from the trees and experience all the wonderful coziness of the sights and smells of Fall. Aren't the colors this year really spectacular? I think because I am a quilter, I really appreciate the change in seasons. I'm always ready for the next season arrive.

I've finished another "Home Sweet Home" block. I really like this one. But I think I say that about each one. I have also finished the July and August BunnyHill Designs A Tisket A Tasket block of the month. They are so cute. Two more (Sept and Oct.) and I will be caught up. I guess I had better get busy. I'm posting photos for you to see.

Cheers!!!

September

September is here..well yes it is the 10th today.. I know, so we are a third of the way through the month already!!! This a big birthday month for our family. We have 8 birthdays to celebrate this month! All Virgo's except my son who is on the cusp..not sure what that means, but some horoscopes have him as a Virgo and some a Libra. Well I really don't put much stock in the horoscope thing but find it sort of interesting.

Anyway, since my last entry,where I said that I needed to finish some abandoned projects. I have finished a lap size project. This quilt used charm squares and I worked on it at the annual retreat that I take with my small group, Hen Party.
I finished piecing all the squares together into a top, but put it away before the borders were on. I just finished cutting and sewing on the borders this morning and I really like this quilt. It was stepping out of my usual palette, and I enjoyed revisiting the early 70's with these very retro colors. I never thought I could look at avocado green ever again, after having a completely avocado kitchen in our first house. I was so over that color when we moved, but I think I can handle it now in small doses.
This fun and easy project will most likely be a Christmas gift for some lucky (?) family member.
Ofcouse I must now machine quilt it and that seems to be another step in the process where I procrastinate. Well I am a little closer to completion, at least.
I have posted a cute skirt I made for my granddaughter, Scarlett, for her 3rd birthday. It was so easy and cute. I found the pattern on a blog called Jane's Apron.typepad.com. It is called Twirly Skirt..I will be making more, for sure.
I hope every one is having a good month and stay tuned for more progress on those UFO's.
Happy Quilting!!!!

Catching up!!

It's a rainy cool day today and a good time to sit down and write. My son was married Aug 8 in Hemsedal, Norway. My husband, daughter and family and I made the long journey to Oslo, Norway to meet Maren's family and attend this special event.
We enjoyed our stay and can't thank the wonderful people who gave so generously of their time and home to make our time there a wonderful memory. Of course, I made a quilt for the new couple and have a photo to share.
Maren and Seth enjoy mountain climbing,traveling to exotic places and winter sports. I chose blue and white fabrics with a Snowflake theme. They loved it!!
Now that I have returned home, it is time to get on with projects waiting for some attention. I Finally finished block 2 of the Home Sweet Home series. I think today I will start block 3. I have so many unfinished projects at different stages of completion, I think I must make a list and get busy finishing things...oh yeah and then there are the Christmas projects that I need to start...yikes!!! OK, breathe...one thing at a time!!!
Well I guess I need to get on with it..right. Thanks for visiting :0)

Correction....The Tisket tasket blocks are May and June....I just received July yesterday...so stay tuned :)

Well, I can't believe how fast time goes by. I really didn't think it had been so long since my last entry. I guess I have been busier than I realized. I have actually finished a few projects, so time has not been wasted. One project that I am very pleased with is my niece Angela's High School Graduation quilt. I have not had time to quilt it yet but wanted to post a picture anyway.The fabric group is called "Objects of Desire" by Moda and the pattern is from a Quilts And More magazine. The fabrics' main theme is brightly colored and patterned fantasy shoes..(oh how I wish I could still wear shoes like these!!!). A perfect choice for our resident shoe collector.
I also have two more A Tisket A Tasket block of the month blocks to share, June and July.
The table runner is a model I did for the quilt shop I work for. I just fell in love with these funky/retro chickens and really like how it turned out.
More to come soon!!!

Old block, New Look

I began Home Sweet Home quilt from a book by BlackBird designs last year after a long search for fabrics. I started block one and didn't like how it was progressing and packed it up and put it away. During a recent clear-out of started projects I found it again and removed the fabrics that were not working and started again. This time I'm happy with the block and ready to start block 2. I thought I would share these blocks as they progress. I'm hoping it will keep me on task and motivated to finish this great quilt. I have the perfect spot for it to hang and it is waiting for me to get it done. Thanks for stopping by.

A Project to Share

I finally have some pictures of something I am working on. Anne Sutton from BunnyHill Designs is featuring a mystery block of the month called Tisket Tasket and a new block arrives in my inbox the 5th of each month..and its free :). I am really enjoying these little applique blocks. I have managed to finish each block before I receive the next one. So here they are.. blocks 1 thru 4.

A New Day

I love Mondays. So many possibilities ahead of me. I know that I can choose what I will focus on this week. Providing, of course, that I have some free time ahead of me. Even so, if the week is more challenging, then I must make good choices with my free time. I think we all have to do the balancing act with time. I have the luxury of having quite a lot of time to pursue my passion. I must say tho, that I do waste a fair amount of time just thinking about what I should be doing, instead of just doing it. Is that called procrastination?? Why procrastinate doing the thing you love??? A mystery to me, but I think that I will try harder to appreciate and use wisely every free minute of every day. I'm sure that if we all choose to use our time better we would be surprised how many more minutes we could find to spend doing what we love to do.
Lately I have been organizing and sorting out "the stash". Well I must tell you that this has been a real time consuming process and I would have rather spent it actually creating. I did, however, find a few pieces of fabric that I had forgotten that I had. Real nice pieces, too. I guess it wasn't a total waste of time. I have sorted, cleared out and now have to decide what to do with those things that I no longer want or will use. More piles to deal with...ugh. For now I will concentrate on doing what I love best, and leave the rest for another day.
This morning I took some pictures of my Studio. I did not clean or change anything, this is just the way it looks most of the time..sometimes it is much messier. On the design wall are two blocks from a block of the Month in progress, a corner from an applique project and a antique block purchased from eBay.
I will try to make entries more often..I have a few quilts to share as well and will post pics of them as they progress.
For now, thanks for visiting and enjoy whatever free time you can manage to find today. :)

Where does inspiration come from?

I find that I am inspired by all the senses, really. But this morning I was in the shower and I began thinking, I seem to do that quite alot in the shower, about where to take some of the ideas that have been floating around my head. Sometimes I just can't get a hold of them so they just spin around and around. Then I will see something, and I get inspired to work it out. I have been playing with paint and words and collaging on different surfaces today. I like what I made and have posted pics of my new "itty bitty art". These little gems are 2"x2". I'm trying to figure out how to link them together. I think jewlery findings might be the answer. The idea is still a "work in progress" but I have many I want to try!!! The photos did not turn out as clear as I wanted but I'm still getting the hang of it so I hope the future photos will be better. Until next time..thanks for visiting.

A Sad Goodbye

Well I had to take my favorite sewing machine in for repair and servicing. It was so sad leaving it there in, I'm sure, very capable hands. They do specialize in Berninas, after all. I will have to drag out one of my back up machines and sew on it for awhile.
Well enough of my whining, I'm recharged and ready to get some more projects started and others finished. I went away last weekend on a Quilting Retreat with my quilt group and it was so much fun. Much was accomplished and progress was made on several projects that I had abandoned before Christmas. I hope to have more to report and pictures to share soon.
Thanks for visiting.
Kay