On The Road To Inspiration.......opps behind again!

I'm behind on my camp post so here goes!!! Whenever I go to quilt camp I always get inspired...very inspired.  All those quilty people together in one place, so many wonderful projects being made, so much quilt talk going on and then to have Eleanor Burns right there with us the whole time....well just plain inspiring!!!  I just have to admit she is like a rock star to me...a living, breathing, quilting rock star.  She's to blame for my first quilt class.  The sign posted in that craft store 26 years ago read "Log Cabin Quilt In A Day"!!!! Well heck, I have a day :-) !!!  That's the very moment where my quilting obsession was born.  So many quilts and wonderful friendships have been made since that day and I give her all the credit.  Her passion for quilting is infectious, and how she keeps the schedule she has is a mystery to me!!  All the people she has started down the quilting path......well just plain amazing.

Camp this year was mainly a social (jabbering) time...but here's some pretty quilts that were there to inspire. Gotta love a log cabin....and this quilt on the right called to me all camp!!  I have a huge collection of 30's that just need to be made into this quilt.   An oh so sweet posy quilt...love the rick rack for the

stems.  I can just see this beauty on a little girls bed. 

 My dear friend Annie made this cuter than cute birthday quilt for her granddaughter Clare's first birthday...it's in a Quilt In Day book called Ice Cream Cone Quilt.  Some grandma love went in to that!  So great visiting and sewing with Annie.      

Here's a group of us visiting Eleanors studio.....Lani, me, Karen, Jennifer and Pat...all such great friends...I'm a lucky girlie!   This should be an add for how are you enjoying retirement?!  My friend Beth (standing) retired in June and sadly moved away to New Mexico...well not sad for her but for me because we can't play anymore.  She is so happy and loves her new place. We all were very grateful that her husband drove her to quilt camp.  That's Judy and Marilyn enjoying our visit at Eleanor's lovely home.

Since camp things have been very busy. Thanksgiving....

my sweet family.  Then there's been some decorating happening...  getting lights on the tree, decorating the castle......

oh wait....that was a visit to Disneyland with the Dots, their mom and dad and our girl.  We were busy looking for Nemo.....and here's our girls!

Yes decorating is happening in our castle, but may be not as many lights!  Happy December everyone!

Break Is Over!!!

Break is over....and it's time to get back to blogging.  We had a great summer with some good camping trips thrown in.  One with the whole family, even our daughter's guy came, who Big Dot calls "Buddy"!!!  It was great having Buddy along.

The dots are amazing....growing like weeds and so much fun.  We are very lucky to get to spend so much time with them and they keep us extremely entertained.  Big Dot carries on a great conversation and Little Dot is a rolling/crawling machine. 

Quilting, yep I've been busy!!  Attended a wonderful quilt camp in August with my friend Evelyn and finished a topper and an Xmas quilt.....almost anyway.... binding to come!

Then my local quilt shop had it's monthly Quilt Till You Wilt day and I worked on this runner and my latest obsession candle, mats..these will be Xmas presents for a couple quilty friends.  A great fast, easy project.....quilting and binding to be done!

Finally the snowman heads are done, and just in time for Halloween I made this super fast Halloween Jack...yes the binding was on in time!  

and......some Xmas stockings for some kiddos...............

Next week I am heading out with a group of quilty friends for the Quilt In A Day Fall camp which means spending time with my sweet friend Annie....woohooo!   Have my projects cut and boxed...what???? I'm ready ahead of time....SHOCKING!!!  Can you tell I'm excited to go??

It feels good to be back, but better to be seeing what all of you have going on!!  Happy weekend everybody!!!

A Bloggy Break

I've decided I'm going to take a bloggy break for a while. Life is just too busy...filled with lots of fun things to do and see and lots of family time.....and spending as much time as possible with our little dots :-)!!

I still will be visiting all of you, and counting on lots of inspiration along the way!! Happy June everyone!

A Graduation…..a BIG birthday wish and BINDINGS!!!

A week ago tomorrow our nephew graduated from high school…a handsome graduate I have to say, and there’s his big sister ( a college graduate a couple weeks ago) helping him out. We had a wonderful family celebration before the ceremony and lots of us there to cheer for him. We are all so very proud and just know there is a wonderful future ahead for him.

Look who’s birthday it is today……our very own Miss Red Geranium. I stole this picture from her blog and it makes me laugh like crazy…in a good way of course. Not only is she having a birthday was an “O” in it, her new online store is minutes away from opening. It is so darn cute and Sharon is very excited for everyone to have a look see……

Isn’t this button too cute for words. Her webmaster…talk about being professional…is still working out the bugs. She will have a newsletter and all kinds of fabric, patterns, books, kits, notions and on and on. The site is AMAZING!!! Sharon is busy getting products loaded on, so I’m thinking shopping should be happening at any moment. So go have a look see , Daisy Cottage Quilting, and give our girl a big birthday wish.

I have been locked up in my sewing room working on

BINDGINS!!!!!!!! Business is booming ! All seven of these quilts belong to my friend Jan, three of which will be hanging in The Sisters Quilt Show in Oregon next month. Last night at our friendship group Jan shared them with us………….we all were jealous--- very, very jealous. She is such a prolific quilter …amazing the amount of quilting she gets done. The green one on the right is a graduation quilt filled with wonderful picture memories . She is fearless when it comes to quilting, and makes patterns that I just look at!! Wish I could size the pictures a little bigger, but I couldn’t quite figure that part out! I think if you click on them they will enlarge. In addition to doing these bindings, there have been Mothers Day quilts and wedding quilts, so no quilting happening here! Call me crazy (many have!), but I love doing bindings!!!!!

For The Charming Club this month I am going to catch up on the Jelly Roll Along blocks (2 behind) and follow along with the quilt along, a minature version of the Between Friends pattern that Darlene shared with us. Thanks Kelly and Darlene for the great quilt along idea.

Happy June 9th everyone!

Back At It!!!

Last Saturday our niece graduated from college...here's a picture of her cap from up top!! Great view don't you think?! We are all so proud of her and we had such a wonderful family celebration. My sister in law had quite the yummy spread laid out, with friends and family stopping in to congratulate our grad!

Monday and Tuesday I spent with the dots....so much fun and I love being so close to be able to help out with watching them. After two days this nana was played out, and I know Brown Bear Brown Bear forwards and back!! Wednesday a full day with my girl at the beach...she is such a lucky ducky to live in such a beautiful spot...I'M JEALOUS!!!!

Sewing....hmmmmmmm, well a bit - - - I realized I missed Friday Night Sew In last week so I decided to make up for it last night..... here's what I have to show for it......a wall hanging, mini topper and a few more pillowcases - - - all in all a productive Friday Night Sew!! Sew off to visit all of you see what you have going on :-)!! Happy Memorial Day Weekend for those of you in the States!

Stash Gone Wild

  Just a little peek in my sewing closet…and yes this is a stash gone wild.  My friend Teresa has inspired me to get it under control.  She recently donated 4 HUGE bags of fabric to a group (actually there were 7, but her mom captured 3 of them)!  I have donated a bag, given a couple kits to friends and mailed off a couple more to some  long distance quilty friends to add to their own wild stashes!

……then there was a bit of time to whip up a dish towel…….

 

……finish up the Valentine Cake  hanging I started at quilt camp….

and make  pillowcases for some kiddos.  Sprinkled in here and there, some wonderful time with my favorite little dots.  Our niece is graduating from college Saturday and a big family celebration will be happening…….life is very good!

Happy Friday everyone :-)!!!

Camp Report #2!

More camp fun!!! I have been on a quilting high ever since I've been home....but housework has called and windows too, and then there are some bindings waiting patiently for me in my customer box...but in my head I am quilting up a storm!

Here's our very gracious camp host Eleanor Burns. She is so much fun and enthusiastic and such a cheerleader for all of us quilters. The four days of camp she is right there with us sewing and checking in on our progress and also entertaining us...introducing her new book, Quilt Blocks On American Barns, with a sing along to Old McDonald Had A Farm and Quilt In A Day staff and campers dressed up in barnyard costumes......TOO FUNNY!!


One of our afternoons we were invited to Eleanor's home for goodies and to have a look see around her wonderful home and studio........ooooooh, ahhhhhh!! Love, love, love that antique quilt on the table in her studio. A very pleasant afternoon spent with quilting buddies. I just can't say enough about this camp experience and if you ever have the chance I think you need to come to camp!!!! Thanks to all the gals at Quilt In A Day for the best time ever!!!!

Some more quilts......so many amazing quilts. The quilt in the bottom left corner is Dutch Windmill....a book that was written by my friend Annie who has worked at Quilt In A Day for 19 plus years. Annie and I met through the blogs and then when I went to quilt camp a few years ago I overheard her talking about having a blog and there we were meeting in person!! We are kindred spirits...it's kind of scary but in a good way and best of all she has become my own personal shopper, always on the lookout for fabrics I might be needing!!! Hugs to you my friend!

So I guess it's back to quilting up a storm in my head!!! Happy Friday everybody.

Happy Campers!!

Lots of happy campers….two wonderful sewing areas and so many beautiful quilts being made. Just a handful of the beauties…….a time to make some new friends and time spent with old friends….

Here’s my buddy Annie and my friend Marie with baby quilts for their new grandbabies….lucky babies to have such wonderful Nana’s!! Sue and I were so excited to spend the four days sewing with Annie at her table and boy did we get lots of talking in!! I’m already looking forward to next camp Annie!!

Here’s my friend Sue working on the most wonderful angel quilt…just waiting for the heads to be buttonholed on. I love the fabrics in this quilt..in fact Sue taunted me so much with these sweet blocks I had to get myself a kit----she was so very proud of pushing me over the edge :-)!!!

For me it was a productive 4 days. Finished the Tossed Nine Patch quilt, finally the basket quilt, added the outer border to Between Friends, and got most of a mini valentine done-- just need to add the wool heart and outer scrappy border….such a great feeling to get so much done!

more camp pictures next time!!!