2 more done!

I haven't been a complete slug this Holiday week. I have done exactly what I wanted to do: sleep late, spend time with my Hubby and quilt! We have also taken the dogs to run every afternoon. They love the snow and it is such fun to watch them play in it.

This is a wall quilt made from scraps. One inch strips pieced together, then crosscut and re-pieced. Looks tiny and impressive, but is quite easy!

The corners are my hand-dyed fabric. I FMQed feathers in the corners and meandered in the center.

This wall quilt is for my dining room. These fabrics were a set of batik fat quarters I bought with no project in mind. I did my half-square triangles. I love how the colors make it look like Kaffe fabric! 

I did really free-FMQ all over starting with ogees from top to bottom. I am so glad to have the time to complete these. I did no sewing last night but I may play a bit with fabric today. 


As we near the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011, here are my wishes:


I wish for all children to be loved, fed and safe
I wish for all pets to be loved, fed and safe
I wish for comfort to all who are sick and who mourn
I hope for peace


I am so grateful to all of you who stop by, read my missives and view my pictures. 


Happy 2011 my dear blog-friends.

Post-Christmas Slugs

The title says it all. We have been laying-about, eating, napping, just being sluggish. And what a restorative activity! What else can we do with 8 inches of snow on the ground and extreme biting wind outside? Well, we have ventured out to run the dogs. They LOVE the snow!

Here's our house Christmas evening with the snow still falling.

And I thought our lights on the shrubs look very pretty with their mantle of white.

We have clowned around a bit, posing for the camera.

And like Sarge, we have rested, enjoying just being together.

Merry Christmas!

Today has been a rarity here in the South. We are actually having a "White Christmas"! Snow has been falling here since 10am and we have 2+ inches. 

view out our back door

My parents made it over for lunch.

 Sarge just loves my Dad!

But my MIL and my brother and SIL didn't make it. MIL stayed put due to the weather, and my SIL's father is fighting cancer so they opted to spend today with him (rightly so).

We enjoyed Christmas Eve with my hubby's family and accompanied MIL to church. It was a lovely, simple and moving service comprised of songs and scripture readings.

 Christmas Tree at New Hope Baptist Church

We are now winding down and relaxing in the warmth of our home. Time for a winter's nap. May your holiday be filled with love!

Pepper is tired of all the festivities.

 

So, how'd I do?

Here we are, December 23, and a lyric comes to mind: "So this is Christmas, and what have you done?"
For a long time, I did not find this song remotely festive. I found it accusing and not too inspirational in the way of more traditional holiday fare. But, as I have aged, and mellowed, I have gained understanding. And in the ways of genius, John Lennon was asking a question I need to answer each year. I actually look forward to hearing this song now, I feel it propels me to do more, accomplish more, not in any competitive way, but to pursue more for good. So, in the name of end-of-year lists, this is how I stacked up to the goals I set for myself in January:


1. Christmas quilts for my king-size bed and for our full-size guest bed (2 quilts)-DONE! But the full-size became a gift for my beloved MIL.
 
2. Finish the string quilt for our king-size bed. (1 quilt)-OOPS, not done yet!
 
3. Sew curves! Currently working on a quilt that incorporates them. (1 quilt)-Done, here it is!

4. Make one of these cute circle quilts using my scraps. (1 quilt)-Nope, not done.
 
5. Enter quilting shows. The only way I'm going to get better is to pursue some critique! I have 2 entries ready to mail tomorrow for the AQS show in Paducah. I know, I am reaching for the stars, but you never know... I also have forms for 2 other shows, but they do not have to be mailed until April.Yep, did it and got juried into both AQS shows I entered! Also created a month-long, 2 woman show with my Mom for local Arts Council!
 
6. Teach what I know. I am lined up to teach 2 free-motion classes (if enough people sign up!). It is scary, but I know I will have fun, meet new friends and continue to improve. Yep, and now lined up to teach beginning classes and a more advanced class, 1 class each month at my LQS. Lovin' it!
 
7. Compile and publish a quilt pattern. I love to do my own thing, but why not share? Nope, just would rather create them instead of documenting them.
 
8. If what I am making/sewing/quilting is not fun, I am not going to do it. This is supposed to be a fun hobby, not work! It also became my solace and therapy in a tumultuous year.
 
9. Find a quilting group/guild. I really need it! Well, didn't find a guild, but with our move I am closer to my LQS and able to participate in activities there. And LOVING IT!
 
10. Dye more fabric. I love the process and the colors I end up with inspire me to do more intuitive piecing, which makes me more creative. Oh yeah! Did more of this and looking forward to doing more!

11. In addition I designed and made a quilt that was raffled for the Stokes County Humane Society and I quilted a top that was raffled off for the Yadkin Valley United Fund. I love that this hobby that brings me such peace and joy can also bring funds to worthy organizations!


So, there it is for all to see: I am 7 for 10 in my quilting goals. And I feel pretty good about that!  As for numbers, this year I have completed these:


17 quilts, 5 tabletoppers, 5 wall quilts and quilted 2 tops for friends. 


I am working on my goals for 2011 and will post those later. Thanks to all of you for your wonderful comments, feedback and for reading my blog! And I wish the Merriest of Christmases and all the best the season has to offer for each of you. God Bless Us, everyone!

Sidewalk Funny

Saw out on the sidewalk Saturday afternoon:

Reconnected...and a big finish!

Whew, had to get a new modem! Done and installed, obviously!

And my big finish?

Why, my Christmas Quilt. My KING-SIZED Christmas quilt!

I am calling it "A Few of My Favorite Things". Anyone name the musical origin of this song?

The pattern is "Slide Show" by Atkinson Designs, love her patterns! The focus fabrics are from "Figgy Pudding" by Moda. I fell for this group last year and still love the retro colors. 

I quilted it in a loop-de-loop on my Mom's Gammill. Got this beauty done in 3 1/2 hours! Love how it looks on the bed.

AAK! Internet/Modem issues

Yes, I have things to post, but my modem is down. Just gives you something to look forward to as we near Christmas!

A completion or what I've been up to pt 3

Finished this table runner for hubby's gift exchange:

Used a Christmas-themed charm pack. I can't remember the name of it! Too many things going on!

Anyway, I just sewed 2.5" strips (first the white, then the red) to create the blocks.Creates a nice effect. Then free-motion with white polyester thread. I need to get my Christmas bed quilt completed! Hope to get back to it this week!

What I've been up to pt 2

I got my dye stuff out on Saturday to create some Christmas gifts. I had much fun! Forgot how much I enjoy this process. I dyed several hoodies, t-shirts and pillow cases. they make unique gifts for my family and they seem to like that!

 

What I've been up to pt 1

Too busy to blog. That's for sure! I am trying to use up vacation days, and that means I am cramming 5 days of work into 4. Plus helping others. Thankfully, our workloads have increased. Its a nice change after the past 2 years, but I am brain-dead when I get home and do not want to spend another minute in front of a computer. I'd rather be sewing. Which is what I have been doing.

 I just finished quilting a top made by a friend. It is a cute Christmas quilt. She is giving me the left-over fabric.

My quilting just gets better. Feels like I am watching someone else do it. Practice pays off!

WOW! Poinsettias!

Hubby took Sweet MIL and I to Mitchell's Nursery and Greenhouse in King, NC this past Sunday for their annual Poinsettia Open House. To say it was beautiful just doesn't do the experience justice. I never realized how many varieties there are of this beautiful plant. There were several different reds, whites, pinks, speckled, shaded and striped.

So lovely. Such a colorful way to spend a snowy Sunday!

A completion and some snow

I completed this table runner this week:

It is 38" by 18.5" made from "Hemming House" by Moda charm pack. I made this for my MIL's friend (my friend too!) Mary.

My FMQ is getting better. I am so much more comfortable doing it.

We received about 3" of snow yesterday. It was so pretty coming down. It is early for us to have this, we usually do not get snow until Jan/Feb/Mar. Got us in the Christmas spirit! Also made my pups happy:

They have had so much fun playing in it.

Still settling in

You know, unpacking, folding, searching and finding. Need to sew, but need to feather the nest a bit more. So, to get me the the holiday mood, a little eye candy:

I bought this for my sweet MIL and gave it to her for Thanksgiving. she loves pink and this poinsettia was definitely pink! Got a beautiful deep red one for my Mom.

We are beginning to feel at home. More space and less boxes. I like a lot of calm space and all this moving chaos and clutter has to be tackled before I can resume a normal (?) existence. Right now I would rather "make a home" than anything else. I know all this experience has been full of stress, and I am decompressing more and more each day. I can see a difference in myself. My eyes are not as puffy and swollen and my skin has more of a healthy color. 

I am just going to be patient, settle in and let my mojo recharge. 

My new route home

I am so much closer to work now, 33 miles each way (it was 57 miles each way, facing the sun). I take a rural 2-lane highway all the way. A very easy drive. I spotted this eave on an old house being re-habbed:

Love finding colorful spots like this!

A quilters acronym list

Check this list out: http://with-heart-and-hands.blogspot.com/2010/11/quilting-acronyms.html.

Cute, huh!

Found my camera cord!

And to celebrate, a barn quilt near my new home:

(on Transou Road, near Reagan High School in Winston-Salem, NC)

My new sewing studio space

Well, we are here! Living together, under our own roof. I am so very thankful! We have been in the house for a week now and I am seeing less boxes now and more space!

We made a foray into Black Friday yesterday to find bookcases. We have more books than we realized. We are major readers and do re-read the books so we need a good place to keep them. The previous house had big built-ins which held our library. We found a style we liked and bought 2 at Target yesterday. Al got them assembled and loaded up. And yes, we need another.

My new studio is the "bonus room" over the garage. It is not yet organized, but I have been sewing a bit, and unpacking to get rid of boxes and see what I've got to deal with. I am going to buy simple metal shelves for this space. And I need to make a design wall. But, it has 12 (yes, 12!) electrical outlets so I have a lot of options for placing my machine!

The dogs seem to be adapting well to the move. Sarge has really started to warm up to Al and that is so good good to see. I believe living at Meme's and being exposed to more people has really helped his socialization.

I already love this house. I love the space and how it is arranged. I love being with my hubby full-time again.

If I can find my camera-computer cord, I will post more pix!

Moved...

...but still no internet. Love the house and neighborhood, LOVE living with my hubby and our hounds! More later!

I see quilts everywhere!

Not a fabric quilt, but a quilt made of glass:

Here in the conference center at the MGM Grand.

A very busy time ahead

I am posting this from Las Vegas, where I am attending the Healthcare Design Conference at the MGM Grand. I arrived this afternoon and leave on Tuesday morning. The next 2 days are jam-packed full of seminars. I am looking forward to it, as I am new to designing for this market. I will be in the office on Wednesday. On Thursday, Nov 18 at 10am, we are going to start signing papers to close on our house. Then the work gets more intense! We met our agent and the home inspector over there yesterday. We are buying the house from FreddieMac so we are purchasing "as is". We felt that it was prudent to have an inspector go through everything before we move in. Fortunately everything was great! Just a few minor cosmetic items. Whew! It was nice to spend the 2 1/2 hours in it yesterday. I had forgotten lots of details. It is prettier than I remembered and there are more closets than we thought. It was also nice to see how the sunlight comes through the windows. The space felt really good. I can not wait to make it our home.


I have scheduled the movers for Friday morning, the Internet for Friday afternoon and the TV dish guys for Saturday morning. Hubby is taking care of the water and power which can all be done ahead of time. We hope to set up the expanded kennel area and move the hounds on Saturday afternoon.


I have mapped out my remaining vacation time for the year and I am not working a full week for the remainder of the year! Those Fridays off will be good for sewing, shopping, and settling in. Then the Christmas holiday will be here and I am off for 11 straight days. My pent-up sewing desires will have time to be realized! That and stash building! Ohh, doesn't that sound marvelous!


Why all this drivel from me? Well, as you can tell there hasn't been and will not be much quilting time in the next week or so. BUT, as I stood in the room that is going to be my new studio yesterday, the time will come and I am going to have a great place for it! And a lot of fun setting it up. I have never had this large of a space for my creative activities.


I have completed a quilt my MIL started years ago and added FMQ to it. She loves it! I have tried to keep doing a bit here and there while "living in limbo" but that is about to end (Thanks be to God!) So, posts will be spotty for the near future. Wish us luck!

Quilt Shop Visit

Meme (my sweet MIL) and I ventured out to Creative Crafters Quilt Shop one recent Saturday.

This gorgeous fall day way enhanced by this great new shop in Statesville, NC! A small storefront gave way to a huge, varied, colorful selection of great fabrics. They carry Kaffe Fasset, Moda, beatiful batiks and lots of patterns. What really got me going were many beautiful samples handing around!

Check them out here.

Why yes, I did buy some fabric! We are now 10 days away from moving in our house and I need to build my stash for some intense sewing! 

Meme's Christmas Quilt

Meme's Christmas Quilt, originally uploaded by kheli.

In the upheaval of the past few months, I do not remember, nor can I find, where I may have posted this quilt. It is from the book "Carpenter's Star"** and I made it in Christmas fabrics for my MIL. Gave it to her for her birthday in September. She loves it! I love the pattern and definately want to make another. I echo-quilted around the colored arms of the star and densely stippled the white areas. I am really happy with how it came out.

*The book is "Simple Stars Beautiful Quilts" by Debby Maddy available here.

Batiks, Etc.

Yes, I am so excited about our house and really anxious to get in it, but, I have to wait! Don't worry, I will post inside pictures. But for now, more on the quilting side:

This past Saturday (a beautiful, sunny, late October day) I went along with my mom and here friend Janet to Wytheville, Va, to visit Batiks, Etcetera and Sew What Fabrics. Mom had been before (and has the frequent buyer punch card to prove it!) but for Janet and myself it was a magical entry into a jewel box full of beauty!

Love this ladder display in the hall!

Batiks to left of me and batiks to the right, batiks upstairs in the Sale! room. Fat Quarters, Layer Cakes, Charm Squares, books, tool, gadgets, everywhere I turned there was a new delight! I bought charm square packs, FQs and 2 books along with batik yardage for a quilt I am planning for my living room wall. I will post on the books later. Mom got 108" wide batik baking for a friend along with additional fabric for her stash (my mom loves batiks, really loves them!). Janet bought fabric and patterns. We had so much fun with the lovely ladies working there. The customer service was fantastic and judging from the raucous laughter coming from the class room, it would be a fun place to take a class! Make a trip to Wytheville or buy on line, this is a great shop with a fabulous collection of batiks.

Our new house!

Our new house!, originally uploaded by kheli.

I can finally share this! We close on our new house on Nov. 18! This was taken the first day I saw it and fell in love. See the window over the garage? That is the 'bonus room' which will be my new studio. This house is so cute, I will share more shots once I get the keys!

Another Finish

I put this table topper together using most of a charm pack of Rouenneries. I love the soft wine color and sashed them with a white-on-white I had in the scrap bin.

Fmq'd with polyester thread in gold. Bordered, backed and bound with others from my scrap bin.

I am going to be ready to cut into my non-scraps as soon as we get into our new home! I am also ready to buy and add to my stash! But first, we must wait the 3 weeks until closing! Limbo isn't going to last forever.

And this lovely is going to MIL, she loves to create a pretty table!

Charity Quilt finished!

My friend/boss, Kristen bought the Ruffles and Squares kit and pieced the top. I FMQ'd it.

She put a ruffled binding. I think it is too cute!

I did a stipple/meander with a heart to coordinate with the background fabric.

We have donated to our company's United Fund event. If you pledge/give a one time gift of $10, your name goes into a drawing for prizes. This is one of the prizes. We are trying to get 100% participation. I believe $10 is a good price for a nice quilt. And I know the money stays here in the community.