Spring Morning!

Oh my goodness, look at all these beauties!!! Once again Fun With Barb had another swap. While this one was a little more intense, the blocks I received are sewn perfectly!!! Now to decide what to do with them....Thank you again Barb for a fab swap!

Last week we got a lot of snow, 10"!!! I know it's almost the end of March!!! I worked on this during our annual Getaway last month and now am motivated to get it done.. It's going to be big, like bed size big!

The cutting is a little intensive so I only work on it here and there. Even though it looks pretty organized, I still try to keep like colors away from each other, which is almost impossible. I still need to cut out a lot more.
I feel very positive. I bought some pansies this weekend with the intention of putting them in some pots this week. I know they can handle the cold, but 10" of snow will crush anyone's spirit!

Kelly

Workshop with The Valley Forge Homestead Quilters

I had the nicest bunch of ladies for a workshop on Saturday! They all were so enthusiastic and willing to try making a quilt block without a ruler.

I especially love it when a student changes the "pattern" to make it fit their idea of what they want to make. It tells me that the wheels are turning!

Many made 2 or more blocks and tried some extra ideas that I gave them to get the feel for the technique.

You can see how hard they were working (-:

I am hoping to see some finished tops tomorrow night when I go to do a trunk show for them, but once again the weather is threatening....these all seem to be happening on quilting days.

These are the colors (almost all) for the Modern Quilt Guild challenge. I think I have an idea...

The other day I turned on the iron and left it sitting on my mat, time for a new one! What was I thinking?

I need to get back to my painting. I am not feeling very inspired, maybe because there are no flowers or pretty things to look at except snow right now.

My friend Terry, who is actively hiking the Appalachian trail, sent me this book for my grandchildren. My one son has also done some hiking and there is word that another one may give it a try this year. I think the little boys will love having this read to them! Thank you Terry!

Kelly

Weekend Sewing

I had a fun weekend of sewing because I wasn't feeling well and did not want to spread the germs! So I hunkered down in my sewing room and sewed away both days.

This is a thread catcher by The Sewing Chick that is fun and fast to make. Fussy cutting some cute fabrics makes it extra special.

As usual it takes me a long time to pick out the fabrics and not so much time to sew it up.

 My guild is looking for donations and this just might be the one. Unless I decide to make another...

Aren't these apples cute?

I was struggling with what color to use for the binding and let it sit out overnight.

My friend Carolyn gave me some of her prized Liberty of London scraps because she was sure I would put them to good use! I am so happy she did.

Here is another Quilted Notions Pouch that I made using a vintage feed sack.

I loved how it turned out!

I had to strategically cut the bag to take advantage of the graphics.

It is the perfect size for those little Clover clips.

I also found this in my travels and love how very large (about 20" x 23") and sturdy it is. I did wash it and now have to decide what to make.......a tote seems very predictable. Any thoughts?

Kelly

After The Storm

Well yesterday ended up being a productive day! I have had this pattern for a few weeks and decided to sit down and put it together.

The most daunting part is putting in a zipper by HAND!

It went in much better than I expected and it is very sturdy.

It's small but very cute and I think I will be making more of these! Be warned there is a lot of hand work involved.

The pattern is called Quilted Notions Pouch by Retro Mama. The directions are very good with plenty of pictures.

I also spent a good part of the day pricing fabric for our guild's silent auction. It was a great way to clean out my  stash!

Kelly

Snowy Wednesday

There has not been a lot of sewing going on. The storm that hit us last week left us without power for 4 days! Luckily we do have a generator so we had heat, water and could run the refrigerators. I still was conservative with the power as it does not do the entire house. Definitely no sewing, heat is more important!
It was a good time to start this puzzle and kept me entertained for hours! It is a hard one!

Barb got me hooked on another one and now I am obsessed!

This little generator is worth it's weight in gold! I even know how to work it because of course my husband went to work!

We dug out the percolator because the drip coffee maker would trip the breaker. It wasn't bad but we weren't sure how long to let it perc.

If you ever need a good light these are amazing, so good I could read a book in bed! They are made by Etekcity. The handles fold up so you can  hang it if needed and you can pull up the canister for a little or a lot of light. Safer than a candle and better than a flashlight.

This morning as I came downstairs I found this impatient blooming in a plant. Can spring be far away?

Yes it can! This is what is in store for today and I fear we will lose our power again. It's a heavy wet snow and I think the winds are supposed to pick up too.

This is the progress with my temperature quilt that is coming along nicely. It's hard to photograph the whole thing.
I am enjoying this block a day quilt. As a gardener I have always been in tune with the weather and this quilt is really making me pay attention!

Our Modern Quilt Guild was cancelled last night as well. This potholder is for a swap that I guess we will do next month. The block was paper pieced using a pattern from EQ8.

How gorgeous are these colors?  They are for a challenge. I don't have all the colors but I may just start working on it during the snow storm. Lots of color on a very white day!

Kelly