Over the River and Through the Woods

Well not really, but close. Today I leave for Hamilton, NY (home of Colgate University) and the White Eagle Resort. My favorite quilt shop, Sew Nice of Norwich, NY is having their 4th annual quilters retreat. 53 quilters will spend 4 days, 3 nights sewing their little hearts out. Do you have any idea what it is like to sew from 8am to 11pm? It's exhausting I tell ya! Good thing they make us break for meals. And what meals they are.... full buffet 3 times a day and always different. Yikes! Since I gave up cooking a big Thanksgiving meal this will do for me. I'm pretty sure we will have turkey one night, and prime rib and lasagna and and and...

A Festival of Quilts/Chenango Piecemakers Show

The Chenango Piecemakers held their semi (or is it bi?) annual show this past holiday weekend. I set up Friday and the show ran SSM 10-4. Thank goodness I have a DH to help me schlep all the stuff! I made lots of new contacts and got lots of folks to take the Mille for a spin. All in all a good weekend, even if the lawn still need raking ;o)

Early Fall Morning

We had rain last night and the air is heavy and moist today, yet cool. This sight greeting me from my kitchen window this morning.

Purple Aries Women Magical Mystery Tour

On Monday the Purple Aries Women (l-r Sharon, Barbara, Eve, Gretchen) took a trip to Cazenovia, NY. Sharon was the tour guide for the day and took us to an amazing art park full of wonderful sculpture. We than had lunch and did some retail therapy in town.

These books are wood, an amazing sculpture growing out of a fallen tree.


Check out the view, a perfect fall day, except it was August.....


Standing trees.

The Purple Aries Women are four women who became friends through Barbara. We are all born in April, on four consecutive days and we all have purple room in our homes. A perfect reason to celebrate and enjoy one anothers company, don't you think ;o)

Sudoku quilt

I am currently working on a Sudoku quilt sampler. There are 9 nine patch blocks, 9 different fabrics, threads and quilting patterns. Here are two I have done. Over the weekend I finished my sixth set, three to go!

APQS Road Show

Yesterday I spent the day in Vestal, NY (about a 40 min drive) at a Hampton Inn. I had the pleasure of working an APQS road show with Bob and Jim of APQS. They drove out from Iowa in a sprinter van virtually non stop, they say it took 16 hours. UGH, I'd rather clean my house, lol.

We set up in the AM and then were joined by 7 lovely quilters for a little info gathering and play time on the machines. I purchased my first long arm at such a show 7 yrs ago.

Bob and Jim left right after break down and drove to Manhattan for a show today. Me? I drove home.... contemplating how fortunate I am to do what I love and have such a great company behind me.

Pincushions

I am totally smitten with making these little pincushions. They begin with a bottle cap, add some felt and a bit of stuffing, pearl cotton and VOILA! Aren't they the cutest?

New Inspirations

I spent the weekend in Bennington, VT. While there we took a drive through a large cemetery and admired the stones and landscape. I also got lots of ideas for quilting motifs. Cool, huh?

Ready to Fledge

They grow so fast! One left the nest last night, the other three I imagine will fledge today.
When I was a teenager I raised a Robin, he was brought to us still in quills. We caught gypsy moths and worms to feed him and he lived! His name was Oscar and he spent most of the his youth on my shoulder. By fall he was on his way.

Robins

We have a nest of Robins under the eave of our shed. Last year we put up the shelf for a nesting place and to try and keep them form nesting above the dryer vent. I had visions of hard cooked eggs!
Here is momma coming in to feed the 4 little ones.

I finished a top!

I made the conscious decision to take a bit of time for myself this past long weekend. Since I didn't get to the farm stand to purchase any plants I sewed. I finished my Cherrywood's fabric Soduko quilt. I plan to quilt each color in a different patten as a sampler for the studio.

A new venture

I have been intrigued with the GO! cutter system since I first read about it. I had the opportunity to try one out at MQX in April and really liked it. So.... I am now an authorized dealer. I am waiting not so patiently for my order to arrive.

http://accuquilt.com/

My week at MQX

Some pictures from my week at MQX, in no particular order...




Here is Marcia, an APQS rep from Maine that we had the pleasure of working with this trip.




















And here is opening night at the Superior Threads booth next door.....
















Karen McTavish and Sue Patten talk with Marcia...














Bruce from Sew Batik, deep in thought....
























Amy from the APQS factory showing me the new Quilt Glide option -- love it!


























Karen's tattoo.... ouch!





























A quiet dinner out on Friday, Jim, Wilma, myself, Amy, Amanda, Marcia and Tony. David is the camera man, thanks sweetie!















Wilma enjoys a bit of down time...

More Fun With Jane

This morning I was able to get away for a couple of hours and send time with my fellow Janaic's Linda and Pam. Pam had to leave early so I do not have a picture of her work but here is mine and Linda's. My Dear Jane is made in Batiks and Linda's id 1930's repro. I haven't made a block for several weeks and it shows -- finished is better than perfect.... Linda's block has yet to be trimmed to it's proper size.

My new obsession

Knotwork! I must be nuts, as if I don't have enough to do..... I first saw this at the Harrisburg Quilt Show last Sept. They had samples of each design that Teresa offers, I was enthralled. I had to do it, so I bought a kit. Fast forward to February. I was having a lovely lunch with my good friend Barbara (the dream year blogger) and she was showing me the small travel loom she had purchased for their camper. We proceeded to have a discussion about how sometimes the tools of a craft are as enticing to us as the craft itself. Then and there I decided I *needed* the frame to mount my knotwork miniature rug. I came home and placed my order, gathered my floss and not so patiently waited for it to arrive. Here is my progess to date.

I work on this in the evenings in front of the TV using a maginifier lamp. It is tiny. I am doing a Colonail knot using a single strand of embriodery floss. Most evenings I can complete 2 nine patches. Once you master the knot it is almost like coloring, you do your best to stay within the lines.

Check out the link for more designs, just click on the title of this post. I thought I'd start simple and work my way up.

Bobbin Donuts

I've been working on my Dear Jane quilt and many of the blocks are applique. I like using Superior Bottom Line thread for my applique because it is so nice and thin, but I hated having to go out to my studio and raid the thread cupboard for each color. So..... I bought some bobbins on Ebay and wound one in each color and put them in 2 bobbin holders. Now I have no excuses for avoiding the applique blocks ;o)

Fat Tuesday

Today is Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday. To celebrate I made David a new scrub cap to wear in the OR today, he'll wear the beads too -- perfect for clipping his name badge to. He won the fabric as a door prize during his recent trip to the APQS Rep Rallye.
I should make red beans and rice for dinner but I think not.

A new toy for me!

Well I did it. I finally could not resist any longer. I ordered myself a Kindle. For those of you who are not familiar with the Kindle check it out here www.amazon.com -- but I warn you, if you like to read it is hard to resist. Next I will start my wish list of books to download, any suggestions?

Progress on Dear Jane

I've been working, albeit slowly, on my DearJane blocks. The first row is done! and the second is in progress. the block to the lower right is one I worked on with my fellow Janiac's last week.
Yesterday morning's project was Row B bolck 5.

Fiber Arts Guild

Monday, my friend Eve and I attended the Fiber Arts Guild meeting. It was a nice way to be able to spend some time together and I got to see friends I had not seen for many months. The project was Origami and we made a covered box, a dove and a heart.

Ezra & Raven

Here are Ezra and Raven. They are Shih Tzus and will each be five next month. They are fun but I sure miss my Basset Hound. We chose Raven as a companion for me and Silas (our aging Basset) Ezra came into our family as a placement from the breeder. He is good company for Raven so we now have two little dogs. I have had cats larger, Ezzie is about 12lbs and Raven 14lbs.

Worth the trip

Yesterday DH and I made a trip to Binghamton to do a bit of shopping. Mostly to get panels for my new design wall. One the way down on the Interstate we follow the Chenango river for a stretch , and somehow David spots it. There on the opposite bank, well camouflaged among the snow and trees, was a Bald Eagle eating a large fish. What a wonderful sight. I wish I had had the camera but it would have been really difficult to pull over in time to have gotten a shot.

A New Year

Wow, another year has gone. Maybe not a bad thing. Lot's of possibilities for the new year. I'll consider 2009 a clean slate. I have joined a diet/weight loss group with my on line quilting friends. I am hoping that having to check in weekly will help me keep on track and meet my goals.
The above picture is of my ShihTzu, her name is Raven and she is almost 5 yrs old. She is my little buddy and she has a companion named Ezra. I'll see if I can get a picture of him too.