pattern update

In my last post I neglected to give credit on the quilt I showed with the diamonds, and I really apologize for that.  It is Diamond Jubilee by from Me to You.  It can be purchased at many quilt shops, or if you wish, I can arrange to have it mailed from Bear Patch Quilting Co.  It is full of potential for experimentation.

a lazy Saturday morning

When I look at what I like to work on now (colors and designs) it is sooo different from what I used to choose 10 or so years ago!  It is like a total about-face!  I know it is at least partly due to the growth of the industry and new designers, on top of the fact that I get the cream of the crop by working at Bear Patch.  My early days of quilting had me choosing "country" colors and fabrics by Debbie Mumm and Thimbleberries.  Dark blue, burgandy, gold, hunter green.  Now I am loving these bright bold fabrics and combinations that don't really make sense but end up working together.  This quilt, for example, is a big mix of totally unrelated fabrics that I have been collecting, mostly off the sale shelves (a big bonus working at the store is getting first dibs off sale bolts!).  I am loving it!

This next picture is a closeup of a little flannel baby strip quilt that I quilted for a customer, it was fun to put a different design in each strip.  It was such nice soft flannel to work with.

Some fun new pictures of my amazing kids!  The sign Dan is sitting on is really tall, over 10', so in the summer you would need a ladder to get up there!  He's wearing the Ashley shirt, green to fight lymphoma.  And Brita and Dan at the beach after finishing a half marathon somewhere near San Diego.  Sure makes California seem like the place to be!

new ideas

It seemed like I was in a dead zone for awhile as far as creating something for new patterns, but I seemed to get a jumpstart while on my recent retreat, so now I have a couple things in the works.  One is a little baby quilt, very simple, and coming my way via Bear Patch.  This little design was used often for kits at the store to make good use of especially great kids' fabric groups, making up a "naptime quilt".  I am adding a pillow or 2, and at the suggestion of Debbie (store owner) putting it all into a new pattern for Emmaline.  I loved this cute robot/outer space fabric from the moment I saw it, so it is perfect for this project.  It just needs 4 or 5 fabrics, no pieced blocks, and you are done before you know it!  I also tried out a new quilting method since reading my latest book about McTavishing (thank you Brita!).  It turned out kind of funky, but fitting for this project.   Also working on a project to be given to the Bear Patch retreaters--it's a secret!  Better go get some instructions on paper!

It's a wrap--

I really meant to put up these pictures sooner, like right after I got home last Saturday, but then life happened and I had to snap out of the fantasy land of fiber, food, fun and friends.  It really seems like such a luxury to have had the chance to indulge in the past week's vacation.  I'm very very lucky to have such good friends, the kind who like many of the same things I do, the kind who don't mind when I watch the Young and the Restless even though they never do, the kind who tell me I need to add another border to the quilt I wanted to be done with already, and the list goes on.  They are the ones who appreciate the fact that my corners and points match, my borders are straight, my beer has the correct fruit in it, and the less cheese the better!  That reminds me, I've coined a name for an entire food group--Beer Fruit!  You know, the lemons, limes and oranges that must accompany any well dressed glass of beer.  Cheers!

Debbie progressed on her sock, making a fine heel and showing signs of getting sucked into the magic of a gusset!

Leisl made more blocks for this wonderful optical illusion log cabin quilt

Nancy made many beautiful batik stars

Debbie made fantasy flowers 

I made a little project for the block of the month starting soon at the store

and finished up this well aged quilt, making these reproduction vintage prints closer to being an actual vintage quilt

And many more projects saw the light of day, we really had a nice little sweat shop going there on the shores of Gull Lake!  

And the fun never ends!

We continue in our quest to find the bottom of the box of projects, forging onward through funny movies, delicious meals and tasty libations!  Our little condo is full of stray threads, even though we try to run the vacuum now and then.  I even got the binding done on a quilt yesterday, but am bordering on skin breakdown from a very uncomfortable couch!  The quilts just keep on happening, large and small, simple and complex.  If we hit a snag, there is plenty of help to figure out a solution.  

Debbie made us a yummy breakfast of pancakes and sausage this morning, last night we made pizza covered with italian sausage, kalamata olives, red pepper, green onion, mushrooms, and of course, cheese.  Very tasty!

Our days are numbered here, so I am getting away from the keyboard and back to my machine!

The things we do!

Besides cooking up some good meals and appetizers and sampling wines, we do manage to get a few things done during our wonderful days here.   We had a little car trouble due to the sub-zero nights, but Leisl got that fixed up and haven't had any new problems, except the DVD player went haywire so had to get that replaced because we definitely have some movies to watch.  Today we are in Brainerd to do a little shopping and have lunch out, but we couldn't drag Leisl out of the condo so we had to carry on without her.  Found some really good stores full of furnishing and decorating ideas, good yarn, fresh M&M's, and I even uncovered a new coat!  Our sewing and quilting are going well, a few things being added to our list of accomplishments, and many, many laughs.  We are very comfortable in our surroundings and with each other, so it is a joy to be together.  Some things we are working on: