What a Retreat!

Our Quilt Retreat was so much fun! It was held at a B&B that is designed to accomodate 4-8 quilters, so our group of 6 was perfect. We arrived at about 4:00 Friday afternoon, got unpacked and set up, and then it was time for a delicious dinner. Back to work, where we stayed up until after 1:00 am, sewing, gabbing, laughing, and getting to know each other. There were two dorm-style bedrooms, and we stayed up even later, talking in bed before we finally crashed. Up early and back down to the sewing room, where we got started working before being called to breakfast. What a life! Show up in the dining room three times a day, get a wonderfully prepared meal, and then go back to sewing! And there was a small shop attached to the work area, filled with beautiful Moda fabrics. Yummy... So we worked, shopped, ate, worked some more.

I started by completing the borders on my class quilt.
I got my Half-pint pieced together and started the borders.
And I finished the February row of my BOM quilt.
Traditionally, each group makes a group block to give to the proprietor, which will eventually be stitched into quilts.

The Half-pint and Hearts took much longer than I had anticipated, so I didn't get to as many projects as I had hoped. But I had a wonderful time and learned a lot from the other participants. I can't wait until next year!!

Spring Sewing Party

The Charming Girls and Guys are having a Spring Sewing Party this weekend, but I won't be there. Why? Because I'll be at a Quilt Retreat at a beautiful Quilt B&B. It was at this Retreat last year, (where I worked on projects other than quilting), that I decided that I MUST become a quilter. I left there with fabric, a pattern, and the desire to try a new hobby. I've now completed two quilts, and have numerous projects in the works, and I hope to have some completed quilts by this time Sunday night. Happy Sewing everyone! I can't wait to see the February finishes. And if they have a wireless connection, I'll stop in to see what everyone is working on.

I'm packed and ready to go!

Check it out!

Jandi has moved her blog, so be sure to visit her at her new address!

The day after FNSI

Tiny little triangles are way beyond my scope of expertise at this point. I had already completed the inner squares for these (a strip of 9 blocks), and spent four hours last night adding the outer triangles. This is the January block in the Block of the Month Mystery Quilt by Claudia's Quilt Shoppe. The February row is a strip of eight hearts. I'm going to attempt the hearts, but if they turn out this badly, I'm going to cut my losses and move on to another project. I think it should be a beautiful quilt, but I'm not sure I have the skills yet to pull it off. The inner square should measure 2 1/2 inches, and the entire block measures 4 1/2 inches. This is the best block of the nine, but I'm deliberately not showing the entire row!

Ideas anyone?

This is a pile of scraps (2 1/4" strips) from a quilt class that I'm taking. I also have a smaller pile of 1 3/4" strips. I didn't realize how quickly the scraps would accumulate. I've only completed 2 quilts so far, have about 7 others in progress, and already have enough scraps to make more quilts. This is a beautiful thing! I'd love to hear your ideas on how to use these strips. The original is a quilt called It's a Bling Thing, using the strips in diagonal diamond shapes. You might notice that this is the fabric from the fat bundle in my header picture. Now that I belong to Charming Girls and Guys, I have to finish some of these projects, but I'm more than willing to start planning a few others.

Why did this post make my buttons go tothe bottom of the page instead of the side? Hmmm...

Sunshine on a dreary day..

From my honey.

The Simple Woman's Daybook, February 15

FOR TODAY
February 15, 2010...
Outside my window...the Robins have returned! They're everywhere the last couple of days.
I am thinking...Robins mean that Spring is coming - right??
I am thankful for...the awesome people that I get to work with each day.
From the kitchen...Chicken noodle soup from the roast chicken that we had for Valentine's Day.
I am wearing...jeans, a sweathshirt, and my Crocs.
I am creating...The January and February quilt rows for a BOM.
I am going...to complete at least one of these rows tonight!
I am reading...The Grief Club
I am hoping...that I don't have to cancel my massage again this week.
I am hearing...the TV channel is set to the Olympics.
Around the house...I need to do some more cleaning and organizing in my craft room.
One of my favorite things...Blogging!
A few plans for the rest of the week: finish up my online class, Friday Night Sew-in.
Here is picture for thought I am sharing...Saw this artwork on a snowbank...When life gives you a snowbank, make snow art!

Friday Night Sew-In

This Friday, the 19th, is the monthly Friday Night Sew-In. Click on the button on the right for more info. Hope to get lots of sewing done!

Tired of snow pics?

I decided to bring the snowflakes indoors and get started on a Snowflake block for the Block of the Month Mystery Quilt by Claudia's Quilt Shoppe. I didn't get a chance to work on it in January, so I'm hoping to complete the January and February blocks this weekend. Of course, this will also require yet another trip to the LQS because I don't have the fabric for the background. Lucky for me, they held over their "Big Game Day Sale" due to the snow last weekend. I've been bringing work home again in the evenings, so I need to make time for sewing for relaxation. I'm also planning my projects for Retreat in two weeks. Can't wait!!

Here we go again!

It's snowing. Again. A lot of snow. Again. This is highly unusual for our area. We're tired of it. Make it stop.

On the bright side, tomorrow is a snow day, so I'll get to do some sewing! But of course, I'll have to spend several hours digging the cars out. Again. Oh well, Spring WILL come! And there are only 151 days until vacation at the beach!

FOR TODAY
February 8, 2010...
Outside my window...the remnants of yet another Saturday snow-21" this time!
I am thinking...We made our summer beach plans this weekend. I'm ready!
I am thankful for...the neighbors who helped us shovel out our cars.
From the kitchen...Tonight we had fajitas with leftovers from a delicious roast that M made on Saturday.
I am wearing...my other comfy sweats, it's cold down here.
I am creating...a new 9-patch quilt.
I am going...to work on my homework later
I am reading...The Speed of Trust
I am hoping...that we get a Snow Day on Wednesday.
I am hearing...the weather forecasters predicting another big storm tomorrow.
Around the house...M is watching TV upstairs, and I've got laundry going. A typical Monday evening.
One of my favorite things...finding new quilt patterns for inspiration..
A few plans for the rest of the week: some serious sewing, and more cleaning of the scrapping area.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing
What a beautiful scene!

Sunday, February 7, 2010

Cleaning and organizing.....

In my craft room are two tables that back up to each other. One contains my computer and my scrapbooking clutter, (I mean stuff!) and the other is my sewing table. Last weekend I cleaned and organized the sewing supplies and fabric, and today was devoted to cleaning up the scrapping supplies. I have a tendency to pile one project on top of another, so it took awhile to get down to the bare table. Guess what I found - some Fat Quarters!! What a nice surprise.

After shoveling snow yesterday, I started a little mini 9-patch quilt from scraps. I hate wasting anything, so this is a bonus quilt. I have several other UFO's that I should have been working on, because I want to get them completed before I attend a retreat at the end of February. I'd like to start a new project (or two or three) with a clean conscience.

A Snowy Sewy Day

This is the same scene on Saturday morning. The snow depth probably measures about 20" here. Still predicting several more hours of snow. I'll have to dig out the cars tomorrow, but with the wind blowing like it is, it would be pointless to try to start the chore today. Off to do some sewing!

And so it begins....

It's the Super Storm of 2010. Depending on which source I listen to, we're expecting somewhere between 18-30 inches of snow. This picture was taken at about 5:30 on Friday evening, after I had been home for an hour. We're stocked up on the obligatory bread, milk, eggs, and toilet paper. I also have a huge stack of projects to work on, and the hubster has a huge stack of library books. We have no place to go this weekend, so bring on the snow!

My first Quilt

In May of 2009, my sister-in-law invited me to a Quilt Retreat so that we could spend some girl time together. Since I wasn't a quilter, she suggested that I scrapbook while the others quilted. I thought a girls' weekend was a great idea, so I signed up. By the end of the weekend, I was convinced that I wanted to try quilting. The girls helped me choose fabric and a pattern for a beginner quilt. It wasn't long before I decided that I definitely needed a class, but there were none offered in the local area during the summer months. I finally took a class in October, and this quilt is the result! The ABC's class taught us everything from how to cut, how to piece, how to stitch in the ditch, and even how to bind our quilts. I was so proud of this quilt, and anxious to get to work on the next one. I've been honing my shopping skills as well, and I now have enough fabric to make several quilts! Oh - and I still haven't used the fabric or the pattern that I purchased at the retreat.

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY
February 1, 2010...
Outside my window...the remnants of a Saturday snow.
I am thinking...I'm ready for Spring!
I am thankful for...my warm house
From the kitchen...My first try at Chicken cordon Bleu tonight! pretty tasty
I am wearing...my comfy sweats
I am creating...a new blog
I am going...to work on my homework later
I am reading...The Speed of Trust
I am hoping...to get some help at work soon
I am hearing...the TV as background noise
Around the house...Hubby just headed for bed upstairs, kitties are all tucked in
One of my favorite things...Learning to quilt..
A few plans for the rest of the week: First Wednesday Club, and a quilting class
Here is picture for thought I am sharing

I'm thankful we didn't get this much snow this weekend! This is from December.