It's my FAVORITE time of the year!!

Seriously...it IS!! It's my FAVORITE time of the year for several reasons...I love the holidays and getting together with family and friends to celebrate...it's boots-and-scarves weather..AND it's time for another wonderful Bonnie Hunter Mystery, Allietare! I was home sick today with some random flu-like virus so what better time to catch up on my step 2. I'm officially up to date and SO very happy about it! Here's my clue #1 and clue #2.

Are you playing along too? What are you waiting for? Raid your stash, it's not too late!! Come and join us! The link for the new mystery is on my sidebar and you can see everyone's progress HERE!

Wishing you all the happiest and healthiest of New Years! 

Just as the quote says "It's never too late to be what you might have been." 2015 will be another year of "firsts" for me, as 2014 was. It was my first year of running, which included 7 5Ks, 2 5 milers and a half marathon (13.1 miles). It was also the first year in my life that I maintained any significant weight loss...ever! I became a licensed Zumba® instructor in 2014 and now teach Zumba Gold®

1 day a week! I've also learned alot about myself along the way, including the fact that I love to inspire others to improve their health :)

I will always be a quilter and crafter and will continue to sew and create as well as dance and run! 2014 was an exciting year for me, and I hope to have an even MORE exciting 2015!!

Some Folks...

They just NEVER update their blogs, ya know? Man, what is UP with those kinds of folks??? 

Oh...wait...that would be me ;)

Well enough of THOSE KINDS of folks...here's an update for you! I've been busy over the last few months and thought you all might want to see what's I've been working on! 

 

This is a mini album quilt that is quilted and bound. It's from the book "Prairie Children and their Quilts".

 

Here's a fun Yellow Brick Road for my Niece Carrie who had a healthy bouncing baby boy, Aidan, on November  22!

 Since Bonnie Hunter's newest mystery, Grand Illusion, was approaching fast I figured I had better get last year's mystery, Celtic Solstice, to at least a top! Hooray! Now to get it quilted. Did you notice Roll Roll Cotton Boll peeking out from under the other top? What can I say...I love me some Bonnie quilts!!

 Here's a fun modern Churn Dash top that needs quilting as well.

These next 3 somewhat-minis are from the Kim Diehl "Simple Whatnots Club" and I just loved sewing them up! 

 And this last Valentine-themed quilt top is the Star Plus from Machenundtun and it worked up very quickly and made a small dent in my pink/red/brown stash!

So as you can see, I haven't been a total sewing-slouch ;) I do have a significant backlog of quilting to do! I'm currently working on the latest Bonnie Hunter Mystery, Grand Illusion and will post some pics of that shortly, so check back soon!

Some tote bag love!

 I am seriously OBSESSED with Charm Party Tote bag from Quilts Illustrated! Penny Sturges has so many wonderful bag patterns and I am just a bag pattern FREAK! Here's my latest Charm Party Totes....

 These 2 are made with the Mama Said Sew line of fabs from Moda. Such a fun sewing-related line of fabrics!

And this one is made with Posh, which is an older Moda line. I have 2 more identical ones in the works and have to finish those up...but the urge to buy a few more charm packs and associated yardage is strong! I still have more fusible fleece to use up! LOL

Hope you are all enjoying the summer! I certainly am. After this terribly cold and snowy winter, shorts and a tank top with the sun on your skin feels DIVINE!! So get out and enjoy the sunshine!

Retreat update!

 I'm back from our annual Backporch Friends retreat and have some fun pics to share! 

Here is my charity quilt...it's a little 9 patch designed by Terry of Terry's Treasures. I will definitely be doing another one of these!

I completed a few of the projects that I brought with me, although I have ALWAYS brought more than I could ever finish in the 4 days we are there!

An oldie but goodie, the project from the November Thimbleberries 2004 club! 

I am finally adding the buttonholing to a project that's been on my design wall for WAY too long, Gordy's Gang, a wool Halloween wall hanging. THIS WILL be done before this Halloween!

We also had a Jelly Roll Race! It was TOO fun and I love how my top came out! If you're interested in trying one yourself, here's the video from Missouri Star Quilt company! 

 

Love these girls! They are so much fun to sew and spend retreat time with! It's a shame that we only do it once a year, but I will take whatever sewing sista time I can get!!

After returning from the retreat, I am all jazzed up to sew! Hopefully I can keep some of this momentum going all year long and crank out a few other projects...so stay tuned for more finishes to come!

A Craft It Forward for Presidents Day!

Earlier this month I participated in a little Craft It Forward post on Terry's blog, and this past week I received my little prize, a lovely candle mat made by Terry! Thanks so much Terry, it's just awesome!

Would you like to participate in Craft it Forward too? Here are the rules, and a credit to Terry for allowing me to borrow them right from her blog!

1. I will make a crafty gift for the first five people to comment on this poist and say that they would like to be a part of Craft it Forward! This little gift is a surprise and will arrive to you anytime within the next 9 months.

2. To sign up for Craft it Forward, you need to commit to the project yourself. Once you receive the item from me, just post this or something similar on your blog so others can get involved. You them make them something and Craft it Forward continues on and on!

3. Leave a comment on this post telling me that you want to participate in Craft it Forward. Also please be sure that I have a way to contact you so  I can get your postal address (do not leave your postal address in the comments!) so I can get your crafty gift in the mail.

A Wiggly Whimsey Flimsy!

As the Brits would say, it's a Flimsy! My Wiggly Whimsey from last year's Terry's Treasure's sew along is finally done! Now to get a backing and some binding and finish 'er up! I've started working on the latest Terry's sew along and will post pics soon of that as well!

Hope you are having a wonderful Sunday! It's been a colder day here today and we're expecting some frigid temps later this week...good quilting weather :)

The Power of a Word

 “I know nothing in the world that has as much power as a word. Sometimes I write one, and I look at it, until it begins to shine.”
― Emily Dickinson

Sometimes just a single word is enough to change a person's outlook...or a person's life. Love is such a word, so is Hate and Cancer...and many others. Some folks have words that have personal and profound meaning to them, others have words that seem to allude them throughout life.

Balance has been one of those elusive words for me. I know alot of bloggers have chosen Balance as their word for 2014, and I have as well.  It is something that I have shrived for in the past, or turned the blind eye to when I haven't felt like working quite so hard on myself. I have managed to find balance in some areas of life, usually at the expense of others...so the illusion of balance was really just that...an illusion. I don't expect perfection from myself but this year I truly will work harder towards reaching a balance of work, play, food and exercise.

For someone who was brought up with an "all or nothing" mentality, balance can seem like an unattainable goal. But with hard work, patience and determination anything is possible. Balance can lead to a wonderful sense of peace and well-being that is truly worth all the hard work, and yes I'm finally willing to work THAT hard! LOL

Here's to balance for us all in 2014!

The Life of a Couch Potato!

Yes, I would consider myself a couch potato for the second half of February! I am recovering from surgery and my activities have been restricted to mostly the couch and short walking tours of the main floor of our townhouse :) 

But have no fear, I have been a very resourceful couch potato and planned well for this event! Here's a peek at what I've been keeping myself busy with...

12 wool rooster blocks are all buttonholed and waiting to be set into a wall quilt...

I have completed all my embroidered blocks for Moda's Lucy's Beach quilt...

Some of the mini sampler wool blocks from Primitive Gatherings...they are just SO cute and finish to 5"...

And I've knitted up 5 ruffled scarves, some for myself, some as gifts....

I'm coming along fine in my recovery and have been able to spend some time the last few days sitting at my machine and sewing! Yayyy! I hope to be able to complete a few more machine projects during my time off, and of course more handwork projects. 

There's signs of Spring around my neighborhood...the snow has melted considerably and I hear the song sparrow singing in the mornings! The days are getting longer as well, so Spring truly IS on it's way! Hopefully there are signs of Spring cropping up in your neck of the woods too ;)

A little snow and some finishes!

Yea...we got a little snow...tell me what you think!

Bill's Pathfinder is under there...you can just make out the sideview mirror LOL we need to find a path to the Pathfinder :) Fox 5 news claims that our town, Medford, came in at #1 for snowfall here on the island with 33.5" and I believe it! some of what you see in that pic is drifted snow but man there sure was alot of UNdrifted snow too!

I did finish a few quilts this week! Hooray! The first is a companion quilt to Picture This, called Secondhand Strips and they are both made from the book Happy Hour by Atkinson designs!

And the second finish is a little toddler quilt for our neighbors' grandchild! This one is a Twisted 9 patch from maryquilts.com. I just LOVE her patterns! I have a queen-sized one of these planned for myself...hope to finish it by summertime!

I have been tracing alot of embroideries lately and getting my knitting and crochet sorted and ready for the next few weeks. I hope to be back at the sewing machine by the end of February, but we shall see how things go :)

Stay safe and Happy Early Valentines Day to you all!

My January Finishes!

 OH MY GOSH is it February 1 already? I'm gonna look on the bright side and remind myself that that means it's one month closer to SPRING!

I did have some nice finishes this month! 

Orca Bay is all done...I love the backing I chose for this quilt!

 And so is Picture This! I tried a new, slightly larger panto for this and love how the quilting came out.

The companion quilt to Picture This, Secondhand Strips, is currently up on my frame so I did not finish that one entirely for January.

BUT I did get Easy Street finished to a top! So all is not lost :)

I hope to load Easy Street on to my frame by the end of the weekend. I am having surgery on Feb 12 and will most likely not be able to quilt for at least 3-4 weeks afterwards so it's imperative that if I load it, I finish it...otherwise it might be on the frame awhile! LOL I also have a kiddie quilt in the queue so I may load that one instead and wait on Easy Street. 

So that's it for my January Finishes! I'm hoping to keep this momentum going throughout 2013, 'cause for me it's all about Getting it DONE!

2013 is about GETTING IT DONE!

Well for me it is anyway :) AND I have a plan...or a semblance of a plan...or at least an idea? LOL

So Judy over at Patchwork Times is having a 2013 Getting it Done challenge and I just couldn't resist joining in! I have A LOT of UFOs...the word "OBSCENE" comes to mind (would you agree, Peggy?) so I've decided that 2013 will be my year of getting it done! I spent the last 2 weeks of 2012 prepping quilt backs, cutting batting, and cleaning and organizing my sewing room, so I'm about as prepared as a quilter can be! I currently have a stack of 9 quilts for my frame, about 9 more in my sewing room to prep backings for, and some stashed in a basement tote!

Here is my list of the 4 items I will get done for January:

1) Get the binding and label on my Orca Bay quilt.

2) Finishing quilting, bind and label the Picture This quilt for a family member.

3) Quilt, bind and label a second quilt made from the leftover components from #2.

4) Finish the latest Bonnie Hunter mystery, Easy Street, to the point of a quilt top.

I will be updating my blog periodically as I make progress on these projects, so stay tuned! January is typically my most productive month...now the task for me will to keep that momentum going for the rest of the year! Here's to a productive 2013 of Getting it Done!

Happy New Year!! Welcome 2013!

Happy New Year!! Wishing you and your family a very Happy and Healthy year to come!

Mystery Step 5!

This new Bonnie Hunter mystery is just SO much fun! I love her color choices, can't wait to see what the next few weeks' reveal! I have been keeping up with the clues too, so that is always a plus :)

So without further ado, here are my step 5 pieces and my entire Box o' Bonnie so far!

 Can you believe that Christmas is almost here???? My Gosh! We are going to a family gathering in a few hours but I did sneak in some time to sew earlier today. I will have a bit of time tomorrow morning as well. 

Wishing you all the very Merriest of Christmases and Happy Holidays!

 

And the Winner IS.....

Sallie!

 Lucky number 30, with the following comment :

Sallie said...

So cute! I'm planning to improve my applique techniques in 2013. Thanks for the great giveaway! Merry Christmas!

December 10, 2012 11:10 PM

Sallie was chosen using a random number generator set from 1-82.

 I have notified her via email and as soon as she replies with her address, I will mail that bunny out to her!!

It's been a little hectic this past week with social engagements and our last week of work before the holidays, but as of 4:30 today I am on vacation so I will have plenty of time to sew! Check back often for updates of my vacation projects, and have a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Years!