the next time i can sit still long enough to watch a movie

I will hand stitch the binding down.  I have a really nifty tool that guides the binding to the quilt while it's still on the frame.  This was a great quilt to practice my feathers.

I love love love stitching feathers, and this time i even enjoyed the ruler work.

Morning Glory - a new beginning

I quilted this early in my quilting life, and was not happy with the results, so I 'skinned' the entire thing, and will soon be re-quilting it.

One of Diane's Quilts

Diane has been really busy trying to finish her many UFOs as well as finishing her master's degree and working full time!  Whew!  This is the latest quilt that I have quilted for her.  I love the paisley, don't you?  This was done with a panto.

Joanie's Latest Quilt

I just finished this quilt for Joanie.  She is so generous - she gives away almost all of the quilts she makes.  There are some quilts that cannot be pried from hands.  I really admire her and quilting modes.  She rarely has two quilts unfinished at the same time.   She likes to continue working on one until it is complete.  This quilt will be given to a new baby.

i made myself a christmas quilt from my stash

it's 100% from my stash, i didn't have to buy one scrap!!  I saw this on the net, and it was made with blue and red, and the view in/out of the window panes were of ornaments on a treee.  well,  i didn't have that, but I did have these neat cardinals on a tree....  i used this really neat panto of snowflakes, too.

Peggy's Strip Club Quilt

I quilted this for Peggy.  We used to trade quilting for binding services, until I found a neat way I could attach my bind very quickly while still on the longarm frame.   Several of my friends and I used to travel approximately an hour away to quilt shop where we participated in monthly 'strip club' sessions.  The shop owner would give us directions the month before, and we would purchase the strips along with some accompanying material to make a top.  It was fun, and we made many, many quilts that way.  It was nice to have the fabrics coordinated for me, with directions, as those are two things I struggle with - making decisions! 

A Home of the Brave Quilt

Home of the Brave is an organization which makes quilts to be presented to the families of soldiers who have died while on active duty.  The quilts are replicas of Civil War sanitation blankets.  My organization is based where I live in California, and our coordinator presents these quilts to families in Orange County, San Diego County, and Kern County. 

 One woman will piece the top, another will machine quilt it together, and a third will bind the quilt.  I have quilted four so far, and just received a fifth.  It is an honor for me to do this, and while I am quilting the quilt, I am thinking of the family and the soldier.  It makes me so thankful for what I have in my life, as well as thankful that I live in the United States.  I truly appreciate the members of the armed forces for their sacrifices to all of us who call ourselves Americans. 

She's here!!

Mia Jade was born yesterday, and she weighed nine pounds!!  Everyone is healthy!

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.