The Day Before Easter....

My spring and summer clothes are still tucked away. Winter is hanging on as long as it possibly can.


My college kids are home for Easter. I’ve enjoyed them so much. They both have to leave early in the morning so we had our Easter Feast on Good Friday. Everyone was responsible for part of the meal. We had more fun over laughing as 4 adults cooking at the same time in my kitchen.--- Chelsey caved and said--, “I’ll use the grill….” …

My quilting is as close to gardening as I’ve gotten this year--- the yard isn’t even raked out yet. We keep getting snow showers--- but that’s life in the U.P.

Quilting….I completed the vines and leaves on My Garden Quilt….Emptying and entire ball of Valdani Thread.

The quilt had a kit that could be purchased, but I just used colors I already had and DMC floss.

The cornerstones are cut out and glued into place.

Two out of four are completed. I can’t wait to get this on the quilting frame.

 I’ve been practicing feathers—I’m trying to get up the courage to attempt machine quilting some on this new quilt…

As Easter approaches – and every day—remember to count your blessings. There’s so much to be thankful for.

Happy Easter….

Just One Star----

They were made from my scrap box and took about an hour for two from finding the fabrics to the last thread being cut.   The details of the project are at The Cutting Table. It doesn't take long and there's people out there that deserve quilt blocks...

We've had 3 days at 60 degrees. It's awesome. I ran the pups and started the grill. The furnace is off during the day. The robins are returning. There's plenty of time for more snow but we're at least pretending it's over.

I'm off to sew and read a book...Life is better than good---It's great.

Keep Life Simple....

That's the name of this quilt by Rabbit Haven.  Of course it's done in pastels and rough edged applique.  I made it my own because I had to embrace the Northwoods colors and hold onto my faithful needle turn applique.  It still needs flower centers and tons of embroidery work on the bunnies and leaves.  I tell myself not  to rush --- just enjoy every stitch...But I've had this pattern for two Springs and I just might get this piece this season. I'll keep posting the progress.

I have 2 pieces in progress---juggling each of them.  I keep thinking if I focused on just one--- I might actually have a completion...but what fun is that?

We've had a sunny day today.  I'm back to toting the GPS when I run the pups in the woods as the snow trails are gone.  I'm still looking for some sign of green...  I bought flower seeds in the grocery store Sunday amidst sleet, rain, and snow, just what the doctor ordered.

Work Rocks--- no more, no less.... We're going to be in our new building this summer. There are glass walls overlooking the Menominee River. It could be a cave and I wouldn't care--- I'm just glad I work there. I'm living proof-- to never lose faith.

Gratitudes:

I-books for free

My Scrap Box of fabric

Gumbo for Supper

From My Garden Block One

I started to write that it all began with a quilt pattern by Edyta Sitar--but truthfully it began with two friends that I have never met.  Swapping comments, emails, and fabrics-- a 'kid' story or two, we became friends. I guess our faith, our weather, and our quilting are what we have in common. So Mary, Sue and I began our project this month and agreed to show how we create each block from our own fabrics on the last day of each month.

The first block is a Heart.  It fits with the grapevine heart that hangs next to my garden gate.

I've also wanted to journal the pieces of a quilt, so this is my chance. I'm saving swatches of each block, why I chose pieces of fabric, cataloguing life that month, My Garden for the next twelve months.

Winter is trying to let go. We had a winter storm that came with warnings 3 days in advance.  It made me a little skittish---but it's just snow... and in the end we got about 4 inches of the stuff. I guess I need to relax.

Life is Good....

My Birthday....

Tuesday was my birthday.... A great day---a great week.  I've said before... In our house we have birth festivals lasting an entire week, not just a birth day.  This a a birthday card from a friend, pretty appropriate and all with the covered porch--- a friend since I was in the fourth grade.  Phones calls, Letters and emails have filled the week. Birthdays are a really big deal where I work now, lots of fun.  My birthday money didn't burn a hole in my pocket, I used it to purchase backing material for My Garden Quilt.  I also got free fat quarters for my birthday.

The Spring quilt is progressing--- don't give up on it, more pictures to come.

Here's the view from the porch of the snow as it fell last Saturday.  A reminder that winter is still trying to hang on.  Today It got up to 57--- in defiance, I refused to wear a jacket. On the docket for this weekend, Friends over for dinner and a ton of quilting....

Gratitudes

My I-Pad from Don

A fireplace mantel full of Birthday cards

Red Hots

Finishing Touches...

The routine is pretty much the same--- Work all day, Come home to a few chores, Run my pups through the woods, Supper, Exhale to my sewing or a good book.  The Quilt is progressing.  You can see what the corner blocks will look like in the snapshot.

I tucked away all the snowman quilts, dishes, and winter decorations last night event though we just got a fresh 6 inches of the whote stuff Wednesday.  Thursday and today it's supposed to be in the 40's.  AMAZING how warm that feels after a cold winter.

Chelsey's coming home for the weekend--- We'll have fun....I'm journalling a quilt so I need to scrapbook the pieces ... She's great at that.

Spring fever is setting in. Something to hope for. I tried to pick out my favorite season-- there are great quilts for all of them..

Gratitudes:
Longer days-- time change on the way.
Seed catalogs in the mail
Handful of DMC embroidery Thread

Sewing Machine Cover

Made from Orphan Blocks.... Here my new sewing machine cover.  Chelsey laughed at me---
"Why do you need to cover it---Mom you are always using it????"

I like it and it gave a chance to practice swirls in machine quilting.

I worked a regular day--- thank goodness.  I came home and took the pups on a long run even thow it was lightly snowing.  They are predicting heavy snow for Wednesday so we have to double up while we can.  You put on  a hat and head outside.... it just brushes off anyway.

I have the another piece stretched on the quilt frame, and the leaves cut out to go on the vines of My Garden Quilt...This time of year I get in more good quilting.....

Gratitudes:
The oldies station on the radio-- brings back memories
Seed catalogs in the mail
The Apple Scented Candle on the counter.

Borders Attached

I'm still talking myself into liking this piece.

An Oxymoron --maybe--a garden quilt in the snow....but it was a beautiful Sunday.

It's still below freezing so the snow just brushes off. When a friend and I signed up for this block of the month we had not seen what the finished product would loook like.  It really has a "Northwoods twist" to it and I pretty pleased with it. It's just not what I pictured it looking like all completed.  I still have wool vines and flowers to go on the border.

Every time I worry about Ransom being cold outside he does something like this:

We've been putting in extra hours at work ---better too busy than not busy enough....

Gratitudes:

dark chocolate cream for my coffee

that new spool of thread

Puppy prints in the snow....You're never alone.

The Last Block

Finishing up the last stitches on the last block of the My Garden Quilt. Every time a worked on a block I was convinced I wouldn’t love the next block as much.

 I was wrong each time. I have had such fun. I received the borders this weekend…

I’m really nervous about them. I don’t think I would have ever picked them out myself, but I’ve never seen an ugly quilt from Primitive Gatherings so I’ll keep you posted.


I’m auditioning fabrics for my friendship project for the coming year. I’ve admired the blocks from Linda, The Quilted Pineapple. I read about Edyta Sitar and wanted to make the quilt.

 I didn’t think I could tackle the quilt on my own, so a couple of friends and I are getting together for encouragement. Anyone who wants to join in, we’d love to have you.

The Hop to it book – I found on Amazon and took it to the office supply store and had the spirals put in it. Edyta has great photos in the book along with lesson in fabric choice and techniques. The book itself is great therapy for anyone.

I couldn’t spring for a Quilt kit –plus the spirit of the project is how each of us see the quilt…one block at a time. I purchased a couple of homespun fat quarters, but I’m going to the stash for the rest. We’re going to do one block a month so we have time to do other things and if we’re pressured, we’ve decided it wouldn’t be fun.

I’m taking the homespun-woolen approach to the pattern. I’m using DMC floss unless I happen to have pearl cottons. After working all day, I love pulling the basket out for handwork.

It was the warmest day of the year--- so far. A whopping 48 degrees.

Spring Quilts - A Break from Winter

OK - It may not look like it -- but this is going to be a Spring wall hanging  for my kitchen. I got off of work-- ran home-- grabbed my snowboots and camera for this photo. we didn't get a flake of snow over the weekend.  Despite the bulletins and warnings-- not a flake.  North, South, East and West of us got dumped on...

I stitched on the borders tonight.  We'll update tomorrow. 

I'm a list maker.  Everything but a little handstitching has been checked off today.

Gratitudes:
Email from A Quilting friend. She wasn't lost-- just had a broken PC.
A new Muffin Pan
Gumbo for Supper

The End of February....

I’m so ready for spring…..But living in the U.P. I know I have six to eight weeks left despite what the Groundhog said about four weeks ago.

Here’s my Applejack Quilt ready for quilting. I really like it, but for my home--- it’s going to be lightly tea dyed in just a little while. Country Threads calls the border-- a ‘lipstick‘ border. To me, I love it because it looks like a picket fence.

Chelsey and I picked up the spring time bunny sign yesterday in Green Bay. The most fun part of shopping with Chelsey yesterday is that we had so much fun and never entered a shopping mall. We stopped at stores tucked away that we normally over look. We were definitely looking for the deals and bargains.

The stars, our jobs, the dog kennel lined up and we went home for a week to see my folks. It was good to have my mom’s cooking, and family all around. We even put a new wood floor down in My mother-in-law’s home. The weather was 71 degrees when we landed, but when we travelled home we got caught in the Southern Ice storm. I think people in Louisiana have had more snow days than we have. It’s good to be back home, but I wish we could visit more often.

I sewed up osnaburg fabric for dish towels for my sunday school kids to stamp on for Valentines Day.  We had a lot of fun.

Valentine’s Day was special. We went to a church Valentine’s Day banquet and Don was held hostage as he had to watch Janette Oke’s ‘Love Comes Softly.’ Just goes to show, it doesn’t matter what you do if you’re together.

My Candle on my table is filled with Red Hots – one of my favorite candies.

My February dishes are out.

I finished my last three blocks of My Garden. I just have the border left. I’m already planning my next project with friends.

I found these while I was away --- Wonky Hearts. To some they’re cookie cutters. But the trained eye realizes they are quilting stencils, Sunday school play dough tools, Christmas ornament patterns, oh and ….. cookie cutters.

Life is good. Our company just landed another 8 million $$ contract. The kids are getting over bronchitis stuff. It’s tough when they’re away at school… at least on mommas.

We’re expecting 3 to 5 inches of snow tonight…. Yep, spring is still a ways away.

My Own Room...

So this is the view from the new doorway Don built. 

I'm never alone because of the bunnies on top of the chest.  The chests are matching, One without doors and one with doors that never close.

The doors that should be on the cabinet kind of lean against the wall and hold the project in progress.

While it may look like junk to some, they're treasures to me.  Boxes of thread, fabric that was a gift last Christmas, Cloth napkins, placemats, napkin rings, and quilts.

Spool racks from my son.  I'd like to tell you I only use the best of thread.  But truthfully, I use what is available in town. Bobbins, Spools, Trinkets on the bottom row. A gingham paper napkin, gift tags from friends, a patchwork heart., a necklace Don gave me in High School, a card of buttons all have their spot. 

Here's where I cut fabric.  It's a second hand kitchen counter top.  Behind the curtains are shelves for storage.

At the other end of the counter, are pictures from Chelsey's baby's room that I couldn't pack away.  A cross-stitched birth sampler and a framed birthday card from my mom.  If you drew a caricature of Chelsey-- that would be the picture.  The gray bunny is a project Chelsey and I  did together.  It's filled with rice.  Chelsey made a brown one.  The only way she would learn is to do it herself. I'd so a piece of mine, and she'd copy it making her own.

Proof that this is still Chelsey's room.  This is her Bulletin Board-- With Quilt blocks she's made and a blue jean pocket from her dad's jeans.

I have a bulletin board-- Gifts, patterns, empty flower seeds packets and special birthday cards...

There you have it.

Gratitudes:

Bulletin Boards

snow boots

macaroni & cheese

Works in Progress...

Life continues to be a Juggling act...but that's what life is and there was a time in my life when it would have meant complaining... but age and hopefully wisdom now tells me it's just life.  Life is busy --- no more--- no less.

I wanted to post. This started out as a journal of quilting projects, but it's also a "catch up" with friends.  I miss it when I can't log in and see the works of others.

This first photo is my latest block in the My Garden Quilt wool BOM project. I love the purple. 

In cleaning out the fabric cabinet I found piece of old blocks from a quilt I made about three years ago.  I want to make a sewing machine cover, so I cut more fabric squares and stitched all the scattered patchwork together as one.  I'm going to quilt it and sew it to fit my sewing machine similar to this pattern on Moda Bake shop.

I have a Pfaff sewing machine that just does straight stitches for machine quilting and I want to make a cover for it as well. I received ScrapBasket Surprises for Christmas.  So, as a compromise I stitched these blocks together from my scrap box fabrics (tons of old Thimbleberries) and I'm going to quilt it and turn it into a cover as well.  I recommend the book to everyone... Really easy to read.

Last of all -- Personal shopping.  My daughter rounded up embroidery threads for me since there is no where to purchase them in our town.  College daughters do come in handy.

Gratitudes--It's not what you don't have... it's what you do....
Football Sass from Email Friends
French Toast
Ransom and Bruno

Early Birthday Gifts

How do you know you are a quilter? You find sign of fabric in everyday life. I received an early birthday day gift yesterday. My mother-in-law hooked me up. It was an after Christmas sale that I just couldn’t really justify purchasing just because….

I wanted the boxes as much as the fabric. Plaid --- no labels, no logos. Inside the boxes were these mugs. Lang Christmas mugs and I now own a set of 8.

I told my husband that starting next November – He’ll drink out of nothing else. I’m completed charmed with these mugs. Flash forward about ten years… I’ll be the most awesome Gramma with these great mugs…. I remember special cups, special plates, and special bowls that I ate out of every time I went to my Grandparents as a kid. Good Memories.

The posts haven’t been as frequent as I like---work is about work. I have had quilting time. Pictures will soon come—promise. Don's helped out a lot around the house, so I have time for the fun stuff.

Last weekend my sewing room went under construction. I have a cubby hole corner for my sewing area in our basement. It was carpeted and really nice – I’m not complaining, there’s many out there that don’t have a place to keep their sewing machine up all the time. Then there’s a small room with a door next to it with a kitchen counter top and my ironing board. There’s a table it in too. We call it the scrap book room because Chelsey has her bulletin board stuff and all her scrapbook stuff in it. I sew a seam in one room and cut out and iron it the other—in and out in and out. You get the idea. Well, this weekend Don cut a hole in the wall and opened it up and framed it in oak and added some electrical outlets and now I have—are you ready—my own studio…. Chelsey’s craft stuff is still all over the walls, but it would break her heart --- and mine---to take it down. I figure when she graduates from college would be a good time. But I feel pretty special. I’ve been re-organizing fabric. I found Ziploc bags of orphan blocks that I’m reworking into a sewing machine cover. I feel just like a kid. Pictures will be taken this weekend.

Gratitudes:
Mother-in-laws that understand wants/needs
Cinnamon rolls
Quilt friends that email
An organized quilt cabinet

Choices -- A New Year 2011

It’s A New Year- 2011. No great resolutions. Maybe just making more of time. Everyone is granted the same twenty four hours. Though we wish it were more, we’re blessed to have that. Someone asked me to choose one word to symbolize this year. There were a lot of words out there. After a lot of thought --- I chose the word “Choices”. I make choices every day. I just want to make the right ones. I’ve heard it over and over again….Integrity is what you do when no one is looking. Again I want to make the right choices. Someone once told me, “It’s OK to waste a day if you CHOOSE to waste it. Just be aware you made that choice to do so…” Again I want to make the right choice. Eating or not to, Exercise or not to, Studying my Bible…My focus on Prayer… a lot choices I want to have control over. I want to make the most of them… So 2011 – what’s your word going to be???????


Quilting Progress --- My Garden Block of the Month is coming along. I have four blocks left and the borders. It’s wool on cotton and came from Primitive Gatherings. I’ve loved every block of it.

Eric and I snow-shoed daily when he was home. How do you know you’re a quilter? You find quilting and fabric in everything. Here’s a snapshot I made Eric take of the snow looking like ribbon wrapped around a branch.

My Sunday School class loaded pinecones with suet and bird seed and made feeders for the birds for Christmas. A Friend gave me the recipe.

I’m normally at work when the birds feed, but over the holidays I had four days off (With pay for a change) and watched chickadees, sparrows and even a woodpecker feast on the seeds. My Mom is sending huge Louisiana Pinecones and I plan on doing this again….

Gratitudes:
New socks
Popcorn
New Coffee Mug.