I found this interesting fabric in my stash...

I love this, but I don't know what to do with it.  It's brown and white and really unique.  It doesn't appear to be a hand-dye, and I have no idea how old it is.  It was given to me about five years ago.   I'd appreciate your suggestions!

We are on baby watch... still... so I am getting lots of quilting done

Amelia is so ready to have this baby girl, but obviously baby girl is too content where she is!  Since we are on baby watch, we are staying here in town, and I am home from work.  I am getting lots of quilting done.  I ordered some pattern boards a couple weeks ago and found the perfect quilt to practice with.  I love these boards!  I am going to order some clam shells when they offer another sale.  The vendor is R & S Design.  The quilt is different - I probably won't make another one, but I love the quilting. 

A Fantastic Retreat!

The idea came to me last March...  I knew exactly what I wanted in a retreat, so I organized one.  I personally invited all but one woman (and the one I didn't invite was a great addition to our quilting circle).  I knew exactly what I wanted in a retreat:  lots of uninterrupted sewing time, lots of light, lots of room, no cooking, no cleaning, my own bed, and NO DRAMA!

 Here is one quilt that I purchased the kit for three years ago and finally started.  This is the center, and I'll be adding lots of black around it for feathers, and more of the courthouse blocks on the outside.

 I was the first to finish a top.  I cheated, though.  I had the top all done, minus the one large polka dot border.  Cute, isn't it?

 I searched for ideas for fun ideas for retreats and came up with an auction.  It was a blast!  We brought good, but no longer wanted notions, books, fabrics, etc., and received tokens for what we brought.  Then Cathy, our auctioneer, gave extra tokens to new quilters, with fewer going to the veterans.  She kept us on our toes with a quick 1,2, 3 bidding system which caught several people off guard (Peggy and Angi).  We know what we'll be bringing next year, too, and hopefully it's not another pre-printed vest (Diane). 

  It was the best retreat center!  It's called ECCO, and it's 12 miles south of Yosemite National Park.  The staff was fantastic, the food great (lots of comfort food - I gained 3 pounds), the price was reasonable.  We've booked the facility for November 10-13, 2011.  Thank you, Sherrie, for taking all the pictures!  They're gorgeous.

What's on the frame today...

I am practicing my feathers and ruler work. 

My new granddaughter's quilt

Amelia's baby girl is due on December 3.  The baby's room is done is bright orange, pink and green.   I made the dust ruffle, the valance for the window, and the bumper pads.  It's so cute.  Her sister helped her decorate the room, and those girls are so talented.  I'll try to post a picture of the finished room. 

one cure for wanderlust is to travel, right?

One of the many canals in Amsterdam.  What a beautiful city!  Dean had to convince me to go there.  I don't know why I didn't think I'd like it, but it was fantastic.  We had less than 24 hours to visit the city because Dean had to get to Ringkobing Denmark for a meeting the next day, so we woke up early and arranged for bicycles from our small hotel.  Then we rode around the city for five hours.  What a fantastic way to see a place.  We didn't try to go to any museums.  We stayed in a hotel that once was seven homes and had been combined, I believe they were built in the 1700s.  I would really love to go back to Amsterdam.

This is Michelangelo's Madonna in the cathedral in Antwerp, Belgium.  I had a fantastic tour of this cathedral.  I believe I've been in five now and had yet to take a formal tour.  The guide was so informative, and new so much about art history.  She also spoke four languages, which is very typical of Flemish people of Belgium. 

Gorgeous castle in Denmark.

Loved the botanical decor on this Copenhagen building.

We traveled to Belgium, Netherlands, Germany and Denmark in August.  It was brilliant!

an obsession with quilts and machine quilting

I hope to post pictures of some of the quilts that I'm working on.