The Quilter's Planner

I'm a list maker and am looking forward to keeping my quilty and daily lists all together is one place in 2016. I saw this Quilter's Planner a while ago and immediately ordered mine for the new year!

Click over to here to read all about it and check out all the little extras included, like this section:

What fun it will be to have my calendar and project planner all in one! 

I got this email this morning and  thought share it with you, as I know many of you are list makers too:

You have 3 more days to buy The Quilter's Planner at $35 from the Indiegogo pre-order site!  If you have friends who you know haven't bought theirs yet, will you please pass on the word for me? OnTuesday, December 2nd, the planner will still be available on Indiegogo, but price will rise to the recommended retail price of $39.98.

Chain Piecing My Way...

...to a making a cozy Christmas Quilt.

 I participated in this Kate Spain Christmas Swap last June to collect charms for this exact kind of simple, relaxing sewing. Along with tackling my big pile of Fall binding, it's rejuvinating to have something to sneak away to while others are napping, watching football or playing on their computers during this holiday week. How about you? Is stitching part of your holiday R&R at all??

I know it helps me...

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you who are celebrating.

Tuesday Archives #90: Yo-Yo Fun!

Hello! Hello! and Happy Tuesday Archives! 

The linky party that let's you rejuvinate OLD blogging posts.

. If you are new to our linky, click over the here to read the details about this fun, weekly linky party.

(You can also check out all our past Tuesday Archives themes by clicking right here.)

This week's theme is "Yo-Yo" Fun:

Noooo....not this kind of Yo-Yo...though this is about how good I was at the darn thing!

but THIS kind of Yo-Yo:

Before I even started blogging, Sew Take A Hike was one of the blogs I followed regularly. 

I started to "yo-yo" along with Penny, but never even made it to 100. Penny's goal is 1008 for a coverlet, and upon my latest visit to her blog, her progress bar says she is at 892.

You can find her tutorial for making Yo-Yo's right here.

You can find her tutorial for sewing the Yo-Yo's together (by machine) right here.

I found mine!

First Snow of the Year!

 I love it when genuine moments like this are captured:

Nothing better than watching the first snow of the year through the eyes (and hearts) of children.

Tuesday Archives #89: YOUR sewing spot!

Hello! Hello! and Happy Tuesday Archives! 

The linky party that let's you rejuvinate OLD blogging posts.

. If you are new to our linky, click over the here to read the details about this fun, weekly linky party.

(You can also check out all our past Tuesday Archives themes by clicking right here.)

This week's theme is "YOUR Sewing Spot":

This theme came to me one Sunday afternoon when I was sewing my Dog Gone Cute Quilt. This is almost ALWAYS how my sewing spot looks when I'm sewing. I always get "going" and an hour or two later I stop and see a scattered creative mess just like this:

I'm so lucky this picture didn't come out blurry as I was laughing  when Jackson jumped on the chair, onto the counter and literally photo bombed my space! He should be on TV huh!? 

I returned from switching the laundry and just laughed at myself thinking, wouldn't my blogging buddies be surprised to know...Yep! I'm THAT person who takes up two spaces at a quilt retreat! Oh my! I'm THAT person who has to vacume my floor space before I leave a quilt class. And seriously you guys, the messier, the more creative my outcome. I get caught up in the creative process rather than the preciseness. It's just how I work.

So how how about you? 

This week's linky offers the opportunity to not only share your archives by extends the challenge to  "snap" a photo of your sewing spot as it IS right now, this very moment and create a post to share with us what it says about you.
 

My Trunk Show of Word Quilts

When I heard about the Trunk Full of Quilts online trunk show event hosted by Soma of Whims and Fancies and after touring the show myself this mornig from the comfort of my home, warm in my winter bathrobe, sipping my moring tea, I was inspired to take a look through my own archives and share all the WORD quilts in my collection of quilt.

  

My "trunk" was a little more full than I remember!

Here is one of my very first quilts: Oh Happy Day. 

These letters were traced from a lettering template and appliqued on.

Thennnn I found the book: Word Play Quilts by Tonya Ricucci 

and found myself adding words to wallhangings...

...and even on the back of quilts to personalize them.

Most of all, after making wonky hearts on and off for a year, I pulled them altogether in this Aniversary Quilt I finished for my husband and I in 2014 by adding our "favorite" words to the quilt..  Click over to here to read more about this fun finish and check out my tutorial for making those fun hearts! 

(Be forewarned: they ARE addictive to make!)

I continued to use this book to create my "word" for 2014 which was:

And my "word" for 2015 that has been:

And my latest finish which most of you have seen, our grandson's birthday quilt. 

Once again, I used letting templates and appliqued these words on.

Thank you again Soma for this fun trunk show and for my being awarded such an awesome prize!

In gratitude and...

Hand Quilting Inspiration

We traded in our cool, Fall Oregon temperatures for three days of...

...the rejuvinating, sunny, warm Arizona sunshine I grew up in. 

Lake Mead, flying into Las Vegas, Nevada.

Our days were filled with good food...

My mom's spagetti is ALWAYS my FAVORITE!!!!! Thanks mom.

...the laughter of old friends getting together and reminiscing over times shared...

...and the love and joy of simply being with family.

Mom, Dad, Taylor and me. Nov. 2015

I was especially reminded of what a legacy our quilts will leave as one of my mom's friends invited  us to her home where she shared over 50 quilts made by her mother. I was so terribly inspired to find that each and every quilt was handquilted! Our friend explained with great pride in her voice how her mom used toothpicks to get the pucker of each and every one of these leaves:

I found myself awed by the love of each and every stitch and was reminded to not let myself get caught up in perfection of the outcome, but to enjoy the process of my quilting more.

I was also reminded as I watched our friend read the label of this quilt below...the importance of labeling our quilts. This small little, hand scribbed label, led her into a reminiscent account of her mother and grandmother. It was obvious she cherished her mother's handquilting and it was heartwarming to listen to her stories. It made me curious of what stories my quilts will leave behind??

I'm so glad to be a quilter! This next year I am going to make it a goal to hand quilt at least one quilt.
How about you? Do you still hand quilt? Sometimes? Never? Always?
Linking up with everyone else at Kathy's Slow Stitching Sunday linky.

Tuesday Archives #88: WILD!

Hello! Hello! and Happy Tuesday Archives! 

(You can also check out all our past Tuesday Archives themes by clicking right here.)

This week's theme is "WILD":

Maybe you have some cute wild creatures like Sue's oh so adorable elephant, 

alligator and three little monkeys below:

Or something more realistic like Barbara who blogs at Cat Patches created:

Or our blogging buddy Sharon's:

What ever you got let: