What's On My Wall and More.........

What is on my "wall" today? This picture shows the start of a 4000 piece quilt that I am making for Michael's girlfriend, Jen. Since the photo was taken, I've increased the number of blocks to over 30 (there are 200)in the quilt and I may reduce that to a number less than the 200. These little blocks take a long time to make and accuracy, as I'm learning rapidly, if of utmost importance! There's been a lot of frog stitching lately!




A friend was working on a red and black quilt at retreat and I really liked it. Hers was being made for her husband and it looked like a 'guy' quilt. Guy quilts are kind of hard to settle on for me - the design has to be a little more angular, a little stronger. So when I needed to make a quilt for a man, I borrowed her pattern and raided my stash and came up with this. It's in line downstairs at my longarm, along with several others.


It's a snowy day here in Northern IL once again, but the temperature isn't terribly bad. We haven't been hit with storms like the northeast so travel is OK. A walk with the dog may be in order - well, maybe a stroll. She like to sniff everything and make a few dog angels along the way. No matter, just being outside makes her happy. We all should enjoy the moment as our pets do?!! :>)

Some Finishes and Retreat!

The first several days of the New Year brought some finishes! Those UFOs have been lurking in my closet for a long, long time. One of the first ones was a Boy Scout quilt that only needed to have the borders taken off and made less wavy. Ready for the long arm! The fabric was given to me by a friend who knows that all the men in my life have been involved in scouting in some way or another. An easy one, but done!!






Some Project Linus ones almost ready to take to retreat on Friday.......






.........and an applique BOM from Apple Blossom Quilts. This will go to the new lake cottage in the spring. I took some liberties with the pattern and am happy that it is finished, ready for the long arm!



There are a couple more finishes that I've accomplished here but I'll post them later. it is so exciting to get them out of the closet! Now I can start some new ones??? :>)

The annual Project Linus Retreat is this weekend and I'll be happy to see all those wonderful ladies who devote so much time to this great charity. It is always a fun, food-filled, laugh-til-you-cry kind of weekend. That area of Indiana has been hammered by lake effect snow so it will be a winter wonderland when we all get there but we won't mind the snow at all. It doesn't get much better than a quilty weekend with friends. Life is good.

Happy New Year!

It's 2011........a New Year, hope for change, ideas to try, dreams to pursue. We are always inspired by that New Year's Day whether it comes on a Saturday or a Tuesday. For some reason, for me, it is a time to sit back and think about how I want to make my life better, list the things I want to accomplish and figure out what is 'out there' that I haven't done and want to try. Resolutions don't work for me - they last a few days and then I forget that I promised myself that certain things would get done! It has also been proven in my life that stating my promises out loud isn't always the best thing to do because when I don't reach those goals, I feel like a failure. So this year, the only thing I feel important is becoming a better me - and there is a lot of room to do that. As you head into the New Year, I hope you have what will make you happy, lots of love and good health, and most of all, that you enjoy the journey in the days ahead!