MISTAKE!!!!

I started fiddling with my site after my last post and now I can't get it back to what it was!  I can't figure out how to change the title of the post.  The only color option I'm given is cream!  Obviously, Computer is not my first language!

I've had laryngitis the past few days.  Just a bit of a sore throat but it's frustrating!  The phone has been ringing off the hook and I dare not return phone calls yet because they would think they are getting an obscene phone call!  "What are you wearing?"  Tee Hee!

As promised, here's a picture of my new toy!


After driving station wagons, minivans and SUV's over the past 30 years it's fun to have a sporty car!  I need to come up with a good name for her! 










Did a little work on my Lotus temple.  I came up with a new method for marking and sewing on my foundation.  I'll take pictures and post them tomorrow.  I'm doing a complicated block right now that I had to cut into 3 pieces to assemble it.  It's supposed to be rainy this weekend so I should get a lot done.  I'd like to get this top done soon as I have 2 tee shirt quilts for my nephews who are graduating this year and a baby quilt for my trainer to complete all before we go to the Cape in July.  Not to mention all the other UFO's I've told myself I'm going to finish before year end!  And golf starts.  And taking my Dad to Denver.  And Bryn graduating from college in Boston.  And Joe's brother's wedding reception in Cali in June.  I need a glass of wine just thinking about all of this.

After all, "It's Friday somewhere!"

Happy Stitching!

....While I Was Gone....

So I'll give you the Reader's Digest version:

Left on March 18th for Albany, New York where I met up with my buddy, Ricki, for 2 weeks of creativity!  After I went to the wrong hotel to pick her up (she flew in from Hawaii the day before) we drove down to Greenville, NY to the Hudson River Valley Art Workshop.  We spent 5 glorious days taking classes from Paula Nadelstern!  She is such a lovely woman, phenomenal artist and inspiring teacher!  The first project we did was the Nadelstar.  It gave us the opportunity to grasp the idea of making a kaleidoscope using fabric.

Mine is second row center.

We then went on to make a full kaleidoscope block.  Took me 3 days to get this done!  I did start another and have yet to finish.  Another UFO!!!

My kaleidoscope block.

I didn't take a lot of pictures of the inn, which was charming but here is a picture of the little cottage Ricki and I stayed in.  It has 2 rooms-Ricki and I were in the room on the right.  It was cozy-had a fireplace, big bathroom and just the perfect sized room for the 2 of us.  The food was OUTSTANDING!  I know I gained weight-something I was trying to keep under control while traveling.  Dinners were unbelievable AND there were fresh baked cookies every afternoon at 2:30!

 Over the river and through the woods to our cottage!

After 5 days of fun with Paula, Ricki and I packed up, drove back up to Albany, boarded separate planes and met up in San Francisco for round 2 of quilting and creating at Empty Spools!  We drove down to Pacific Grove and spent the first night in a little inn across the street from Asilomar, where the next class was to be held.  We lucked out in that they had a washer and dryer we could use to wash our clothes!  I was not looking forward to spending quality time in a laundry mat!  After the laundry was done we drove down the coast to the Big Sur area!  HOW GORGEOUS!!!  We had lunch at Kaffe Fassett's family restaurant.  The BEST sandwich I've ever had!

Sandwich + View = Wonderful

We drove back up to check into our rooms and get organized before class began with Ursula Kern at 4pm.

Fireplace in room!

Ursula's class war INCREDIBLE!  I've never had "art" classes, except in grade school and jr. high so I was blown away by Ursula, who was a professor of textile color and design at University of Basel in Switzerland.  It was a creative blur for the first 2 days as I absorbed the information.  I had brought a picture of the Lotus Temple in Delhi as my inspiration piece, not really understanding what we were doing.  I worked on that for the first 3 days until I had my "Color Dream".  It's difficult to explain but it was of a woman I had seen in Pushkar, India.  There was no picture taken of her but I have "seen" her in my head since my return.  I have put those colors on a page using Ursula's "Chop Suey" method and will make it in the near future.

My Board for the Thursday Walk About.  The Lotus Temple work is the upper left side, my first "Get Acquainted with the Process" piece is mid-way down on the right and my Pushkar Dream piece is the center bottom.

One of the views from Asilomar to the ocean.

Ricki and I on the boardwalk.

We went into Carmel after Empty Spools and this was a view down one of the little alleyways.

We then drove up the coast back to San Francisco.  The waves were crashing and it was SO AWESOME!  (Thanks, Ricki)

The adventure came to an end on the 31st as I boarded a plane back to Michigan.  It's been difficult getting back into the groove.  I want to stay in my creative bubble!  I made an overnight trip to Grand Rapids to visit Colleen and deliver her dog, Guapo, to live with her.  She has a great apartment and seems to really enjoy GR.

On a brighter note, I got my Mustang convertible on Monday!  More on that tomorrow!  (I have a sore throat and not feeling so wonderful today)

Happy Stitching!

Mid March!

Gosh, I was really going to try to post more often but I guess I'll just post when I can.  Just as I was thinking I was getting things under control, they're not!  Had a tough time with my SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) the end of last week and I think that a lot of emotions from my mother's death and Joe's surgery.  I was kind of useless for a few days.  I did quilt a little but not a lot.  Colleen and Bryn both headed back to school on Saturday and I spent the next 2 days getting caught up on laundry.

Let the folding begin!

With temperatures in the 60's and now in the 70's (in mid March!) I thought it was time to put the winter decorations away.  I give myself a few days to gather things on the dining room table before I box them up and take them to the attic.  If I did it all at once I would find things and have to traipse back up to the attic.

Winter getting ready to get sent to the attic

Then I had to focus on packing my supplies.  First I packed up my supplies for my Paula Nadelstern class in Albany.  I was going to try to pack all the supplies in my big suitcase and my clothes in the smaller one (priorities) but the big suitcase weighed too much!  I'm so glad I have a luggage scale-great investment ($10).  So I put all the fabrics in the smaller suitcase....

 And will pack my clothes in the room left in my big suitcase.  That is the travel scale sitting in the upper left.  And yes, that is a flattened box on the bottom.

 I am going right from the Paula Nadelstern workshop outside of Albany, New York to Ursula Kern's workshop at Empty Spools Seminar in Pacific Grove, California!  DH will ship my supplies for Ursula's class to Back Porch Quilts in Pacific Grove so they will be waiting for my and I will ship what I no longer need after Paula's class back home.  I have been checking the weather and it's going to be in the 70's for the week in Albany so I'm thinking of packing some shorts and capris in my luggage and some of my long pants in the box to be shipped to Cali then ship my shorts home when I leave Albany!  

And the BEST part of the trip.....I'm meeting up with my Deer Friend, Ricki!  (yes, I meant to spell it with 2 e's)  She's coming in from Hawaii (wait...why is she leaving paradise to go to upstate New York in March?...Oh, yea, Paula Nadelstern AND me!  LOL) and I haven't seen her since Empty Spools last spring!  We just "get"each other and enjoy each other's company.  I'll let you know how we feel after 2 weeks.

I painted the front of my big suitcase so I can spot it right away as it comes down the carousel.  I'm checking both bags so maybe I'll paint something on the smaller bag as well so I can spot it right away.

I did get some piecing done today.  Most of the top is done.  I got the blocks squared up and sashing put on.  I started this about 3 years ago and it was one of those I was going to make as a sample of what you can do with a Cinnamon Bun precut s (1-1/2" strips).  Apparently, I was going for speed and getting it done quickly as opposed to accuracy.  Let's just say, if you ever see this quilt up close, don't look too close!  I still have to put on the borders. 

Tomorrow is workout, bank and finish packing.  DH is out to a fundraiser with a client tomorrow night so I think I'll take my dad out.  Saturday is nails and date night and off on my Quilting Crusade Sunday morning!

Time for bed!

Happy Stitching!

Back to the Free Motion Quilt Project

I was a bit distracted today.  Got a killer workout done with Bryn this morning, had coffee with my dad then we had pedicures.  Tonight Bryn and I met her boyfriend's mom for drinks.  I did get some quilting done between the pedis and drinks.

The 2 quilting goals I set for myself this year were to finish the year with fewer UFO's than I started with and to improve my machine quilting skills.  I set up monthly goals for myself and posted it on the UFO Facebook page I've joined.  This month's  goal was to finish the Spinning Log Cabin and since that's done I've started the Cinnamon Stars I showed yesterday.  I won't be quilting any time soon I thought it was time to get back to the Free Motion Quilt Project.  I completed the first 35 so today I knocked out 36-40.

I didn't follow this one exactly as instructed.  Leah did it in straight rows but I liked the variation is size.   

Peppermint swirl

All 5

Liked this one

Didn't like this one

Fun Flames

Completed Peppermints

Liked this one more than I thought I would

Hoping to get 5 more quilting samples done tomorrow as well as some more work on my Cinnamon Stars.  Nails and hair done tomorrow as well as a guild meeting tomorrow night.  Come to think of it, I hope I get SOMETHING done!

Happy Stitching!

Where is March Going So Quickly?

I can't believe how quickly the days are flying by!  3 of the girls were home this weekend and we had a great time.  It always goes by too quickly.  Co and Boo are home for the week as they are on Spring Break.  It's fun having time with them but I don't get as much done as I should.  I have been trying to get organized for my upcoming trips to New York for the Paula Nadelstern workshop and for California and the Ursula Kern workshop.  I need to figure out all the shipping.

I did finish Spinning Log Cabin!  I didn't quilt the border very heavily but was ready to put it in the done pile.

I recently got a new iron which was recommended to me by a friend when it went on sale at Kohl's.  It's heavier than my old Rowenta but it steams like no other!  I really like it A LOT!

I started working on my Cinnamon Star quilt.  I'll figure out a better name but I used some Cinnamon Bun pre-cuts for the strings.  I'm going to try to get as much of the top done as I can before I leave on my trip.  Hopefully the top will be done before I leave but we all know about the best laid plans!

Anyway, the beauty of my new hefty steam iron is it really steams any imperfections away!  The stars are pieced on dryer sheets so it smells really good when I'm pressing them.

Stars in the raw

String Star

Pieced on dryer sheets!

Finished blocks

I was going through my box of supplied and I do have sashing strips.  I should go through them all tomorrow.  I also need to get back to the Free Motion Quilt Project tomorrow.  "To-morrow, Tomorrow, I love ya, tomorrow....."

Happy Stitching!

March!

So yesterday was "Leap Day".  Everyone was talking about what we would do with their "extra" day.  Well, it was still Wednesday and I had workout, laundry and housework to do.  And try to squeeze in a little quilting!  On the agenda for the day was getting the supplies together for my Quilting Adventure!  I am so bad about taking pictures of everything but I do have a few visual treats for you!

First, at the quilt show this past weekend one of the venders had this little baby to keep machine side.  The "Scrap MaBob".  You clamp it on the table next to you and there is a container for your scraps and a place to put your beverage.  Cleaver!

Clamped to my island

What I'd really like to see in my Scrap MaBob!

Today I finally took the Valentine's decorations off the holiday tree and finally got the St. Patrick's decorations up!

St. Patrick's Tree

I finished quilting the interior of the Spinning Log Cabin quilt.

It was really fun to quilt!

I thought of doing feathers in the blue space but I thought it needed something funkier.  These funky feathers remind me more of fern fronds.

I love the swirlies in the yellow space!

Every evening I can spend time with my Honey and hand quilt the feathered star quilt.  I'm currently using John James Gold'n Glide size 10 quilting needles.  I have been on the search for a size 11 or 12 but have been unsuccessful locally.  I did pick up some Roxann's size 11 but the eye was too small for my size 30 thread.  So I'll stick with the 10's for now.

Off to get some hand stitching in!

Happy Stitching!

Sunday Afternoon!

Ah, Sunday!  No set plans.  My dad coming over for coffee.  Other than that, the day is mine!  Okay, who stole my day?  I was busy all day but didn't get a whole lot accomplished.  I need to order a new canopy for our gazebo and for my dad's.   I must have searched for about an hour for a good website then muddled through to figure out which size and style I needed.  Nothing was exact.  Then I called Joe and he said we still had the old ripped one at the storage unit.  He brought it home-dirty and disgusting.  I'll take it outside tomorrow to see if I can find the style number.  Hopefully that will help.  It did waste most of my afternoon.  I did get my feathered star quilt pinned.  Finally!  

Close up of one of the stars

Stars on my island

I'm so glad I have a large kitchen island!  The perfect place to pin my quilts.

Now I need to quilt it-hopefully by year end.  It's relatively small but I do want to quilt it heavily.  I'm going to try to hand quilt at least an hour every evening I'm home.  The key word is "try".  So I started tonight.

Hand quilting the central feathered wreath.  

It just occurred to me.  I've got a lot of "feathers" going on here!  Maybe I'll incorporate that in the name of the quilt!

Got to get back to my quilting!

Happy Stitching!