A Flimsy Finish

The Pie in the Sky quilt top is finished. This top was started at the annual October 2102 retreat. A wonderful quilting weekend filled with lots of friends, sewing and good food, something I look forward to every year! 

 I started this quilt at the retreat starting with cutting, a lot of cutting,organizing and a little sewing. Then my master's pursuit got in the way. 

I started to put some blocks together a couple of weeks ago and was able to finish it today just before I go back to work! One of my goals during this winter break was to finish this top, and that is exactly what I did!  With out further ado here is my most recent flimsy..

                                    The lighting wasn't the greatest but you get the idea.

I'll get better pictures latter. Boy it feels great to be able to spend my free time sewing again!

New Day, New Day...

Birds flying high you know how I feel
Sun in the sky you know how I feel
Breeze driftin' on by you know how I feel

It's a new dawn
It's a new day
It's a new life
For me
And I'm feeling good
( sung by Nina Simone)

Hello again, I know it's been a long time, almost two years! never meant to away for so long but life just sort of happened.  Many things have happened in my life, most for the good and some just rather mundane.  No, I haven't been sick, and I'm  still married to the same guy, praise God! 

As you may know I am a teacher, teaching has always been something I've wanted to do and planned on it when I went off to college, but I had a terrible experience with a teacher in one of my first education classes  that left me humiliated and reeling and chased me away from education.  But  life's journey has a way of bringing you back to where you are meant to be, and I ended up doing what  I was suppose to be doing  all along.  So over the past two years  I'm been completing my  Master degree in education.  I'm finally done and  graduated on December 20, 2013!  Wouldn't you know it, just  when I thought I was done with classes for while, my state is requiring all teachers to become proficient  teaching English language Learners, which naturally meant taking another intense, time consuming and class this past fall. Don't get me wrong it was a very valuable class and made me more aware of the obstacles that ELLs  face daily, it just took a lot of time outside of work and kept me from my other passion, quilting.  

I'm back now ... I came across Cheryl's blog recently, she does a Friday Night with Friends on the first Friday of the month that I thought I would join. What a wonderful way to jump back into the blogging world!  Sew last night I pulled out a project that I've been working on off and on. It a project from Kim Diehl's  Simple Graces, called Pie in the Sky. 

Here are a few blocks that I worked on.

 

 It's a scrappy quilt that involves a lot of sorting. The trouble is that every time I sit down to work on it I have to resort stuff again! Unfortunately the first time I put this project away I was very careless about how i stored it. Because I've been preoccupied with other things, my sewing room became a bit of a dumping ground which is pretty discouraging when you want to sew. Especially when you have to move a gazillion things to get to the sewing machine!  It's getting better I've shifted things around a bit and now I'm ready to sew!

 I'm just 6 blocks  away from the 48 I need then just need to add the sashing and I'll have another finish!

Thanks  to Cheryl for helping me get my feet wet again!

 

Thankful for Our Freedom

Hope everyone takes a moment to remember those to have given all, so we may live in freedom.

Spring Wall hanging and a Mini

My contribution to a swap. My partner hasn't posted it yet, but I'm sure she's received it so I don't think I'm ruining any surprises. What was good about this swap is that you could make anything you wanted, the bad thing was that my partner, Abby, didn't want any blues or greens. I found that this was a real challenge for me. I guess I use a lot of blues and greens in my quilts.
The first thing I made was this cute little mini pin wheel quilt. Yup, that's a spot of turquoise,after I finished I decided that technically it is in the blue family so on to my next choice.

A spring daisy wall hanging cute but still a hint of green.

So I guess I failed my challenge.
I sure hope Abby can live with them. I threw in a quilt pattern,and sent them off to live in Indiana.
I haven't participated in a swap for a while I've had mixed results, the last one I was in I didn't get anything.The very first one I was ever in well, let's just say left a lot to be desired...
I was part of the Dozen Quilter's blog for two years and was pleased  with all the blocks I got from the first year, it took a while to get some of the blocks but eventually I did .
You know I really should put those blocks together.  They're on my list..really!

The second year we each picked a charity, mine was comfort pillows for breast cancer patients and the girls made some beautiful pillows.

This really  has nothing to do with quilts, just thought I'd share.
 

A picture of some Lilies of the Valley growing in my yard.
So pretty, and the smell is simply wonderful.

A Surprise from Derbyshire!

Received a package the other day, all the way from England.  It contained one very lovely quilt, a very blue frog, a very cute magnet, and a very sweet little heart sign.

I love the colors, so bright and cheerful. Susie made made this darling quilt. Thank you I'll treasure this always.

Accompanying the quilt were these three delightful  gifties. The frog comes from Derby Pottery
which is located near the village where Susie lives. I love the sign that mentions the voices. This is one of my favorite sayings about the "voices inside my head" that tell me to do things. Shopping, especially fabric shopping is one of those favorites things. Thank you Susie, I love everything, I agree that blogging makes it possible to make connections that we normally wouldn't be able to make.I hope we will be "friends" for a long time to come.
Happy Sewing. 
 

Double Trouble

My sister is a long arm quilter, she quilted three of the four quilts that I put in the show. She had six quilts and our friend Annette put two in. Judy quilted one of hers too.

Every year in October, we go on a quilt retreat, Some times we take a class other times we do our own thing.  These quilts are my sister's  we took a class from a woman named Lark called "Double Trouble."

We got two quilt from this pattern. I was not crazy about the class but we got some very pretty quilts from this class. Mine are not quilted yet. 

Here is another version of the same quilt pattern. These were made by Terry, for her granddaughters.

This is Annette's quilt, it was is a block of the month using Marti Mitchel's templates three of us started  it only Annette finished. It's really pretty, the photo doesn't do it justice.

More Quilts

Her are some quilts from the show. This batch is  from a challenge called "Polka Dots and Moon Beams," based on a Frank Sinatra song.

 This one was made by my sister Judy, this little pug belonged to her youngest daughter.

 This was made by our friend Annette.

This is my interpretation.

This was the winner of the Challenge (I think), made by Laura.

 

 More wonky houses

pretty floral cottages

lovely machined appliqued flowers.

I'm not sure who made these last three but aren't they all wonderfully unique and imaginative?

For Those Twilight Fans

Val, of owner a LQS, Quilt and Treasures  made this quilt  to encourage younger sewers.

What do you think? 

When we were setting up I saw this quilt from across the room. It really caught my eye and I just had to stop what I was doing and walk over to check it out.

Val got the teacher shirts from Hot Topic and has a Bella and Edward quilt planned. 

What do you think? 

Would this attract young people to sew?

Quilt Show Pictures

I've finally recovered from the quilt show. It was a great weekend,  but boy what a lot of work!

Lots of beautiful quilts and I have pictures to share.

A view from the top before the show opened.

This was the Viewer's choice award. The picture doesn't do it justice.

It was pieced by Herb, one of our male members. He has a beautiful eye for color and makes some outstanding quilts.

 

 

Another one of Herb's  

I will post more pictures later, it is late and I need to get  to bed. 

Pioneer Valley Quilter's Show

If you are near Western Massachusetts and looking for something to do come to our quilt show.

  Pioneer Valley Quilters
"Pieces of Time" Quilt Show

Friday, March 16, 2012        5pm - 9pm
Saturday, March 17, 2012   10am - 5pm
Sunday, March 18, 2012     10am - 4pm

 Woodward Athletic Center at Westfield State University. 
577 Western Avenue  Westfield, MA 

Auction !!!    March 17th .....2 pm
March 18th......to be announced

It should be a great show, we have some very talented quilters

and a good number vendors.

Memory Quilt

Another quilt for our guild's quilt show. 

This is a memory quilt with the names of guild members who have passed on.

This quilt was designed by me, about five of the blocks were pieced by members of my guild, and quilted by my sister Judy.

Our quilt show is this month on the 16th,17th and 18th. If you're in Western Massachusetts 

come on over. It's at Westfield State University.

I have one more quilt I'm waiting on from my sister to show you. 

Happy Sewing.

Goose Feathers

Getting ready for Pieces of Time Quilt Show. 

I made this top ages ago and my sister, Judy, quilted it this weekend.

 I'm calling it Goose Feathers.

 

Thanks Judy.

I've got more to show later.

Another Baby Finish and Some Stitchery

Another baby quilt is finished, delivered  and awaiting the arrival of it's owner.

 Finished up some embroidery that my mother started too.

First Finish of 2012

I've been gone from this blog for a while life just gets in the way. I've been busy though .

Thimblerries quilt for my friend. My sister quilted it on her longarm.

I know this is the time of year for reflecting and making resolutions. I rarely make them because over the years I've had trouble keeping them. I do some goals however, finishing up the masters program I started, reading more, staying above the fray at work, finishing up some wips. Hmm... how will I do? I'll keep you posted. 

Merry Christmas

A Different Baby Quilt

A colleague at work is having her baby, next week. So of course I wanted to make a quilt. She doesn't really have a theme for her nursery, but the walls are painted beige. So I went digging in my stash, found a neat little pattern and some batiks. We had a shower for her last Tuesday, of course I didn't get the it done on time but managed to finish it that night all except the label, which sewed on during my prep. period on Wednesday. 

Yes this is hanging in a classroom. 

Appropriate for a teacher don't you think?

I did some straight line quilting and am very pleased with the end results.

Happy sewing.

Belsnickle

Remember this guy?

 This is how he looks now...

Close up...

Front...

and the back.

This class was a blast!

Here are some  pictures of the others created.

All so different. The pattern can be found here and here.

Happy Thanksgiving

Wishing you a Healthy, Happy Thanksgiving.

Wip and a Ghastlie Winner

Went to Meeting House Fabrics again this weekend for the  first of two Belsnickel classes. We made the body, sculpted the arms, and prepped the face for painting.

 I don't like the way he's standing, so I'll have to add more stuffing and make some  re-adjustments.

.  Next week we'll put the finishing touches on him. Come back next week and see how he turns out!

I came home from a long day's work tonight and found this waiting for me...

Madame Samm had a Ghastlie blog hop and I was the lucky winner of this Ghastlie apron.
Nan Slaughter of  Pots &Pins made this wonderful Ghastlie  apron.  Not only is Nan a very talented seamstress and wonderful cook, she writes books too! Be still my heart she included  one of her very own Halloween books, along with a spool of Presencia thread!
Would it wrong if I prance around the house wearing my  fancy schamancy apron  after work tomorrow?