Happy Easter

Designer Mystery

Is everyone out there keeping up with their 2012 Designer Mystery Blocks of the Month?

I know I am but it's been a while since I saw anyone post pictures of theirs.....

This month, #10, is called "Sunday Drive" and it was designed by Polly Minick & Laurie Simpson of Minick & Simpson. 

I'm hoping to take the other blocks out and get them up on the design wall and possibly get what I have assembled into the start of the quilt......

I've LOVED working with these fabrics and I'm looking forward to the 2013 BOM as well....that one will be using Fig Tree fabrics.

Peggy

Always Feel Blessed

James

My daughter that's getting married in a month became an aunt 1 month ago.  Her fiance Tim's sister Amy had her first child with her husband Eric.  I was invited to "James's" baby shower a few month's ago and decided I needed to make a quilt for the nursery.  Coincidentally, what I'd picked went wonderfully with the nursery. 
Here's a picture of James's  quilt

This is the back

And here's the gorgeous baby James....Today is his 1 month birthday!

A Thought for the Day

Hannah's Quilt

A girl I work with is going to be a grandma in May so I decided that "Hannah" needed a quilt all her own  :)    Jeanne has known that this new grandbaby was going to be a girl so I used some pinks and purples in it.  The backing is a green with multi color circles that looks great with it and even nicer with the black and white stripe binding.....

I hope Hannah loves this quilt and has many happy sleeps with it.

Do all the young families now find out what they're having ahead of time?  My youngest is 24 and I know back then I didn't find out for her nor for her brother and sister.  If I remember correctly, it was a pricey test and the doctor's did NOT do it as part of your normal checkup, you had to make a special appointment for it and our insurance carriers didn't cover it.
I think, and it's only MY opinion, but there are so few "surprises" in this life, a new baby should be one of them....

And, with that said, I just found out that one of my daughter's BFF's found out today she's having a BOY....  I'm on it, I'm on it....I'll get that quilt whipped up pronto!!!

Laura

The world lost an amazing person this weekend......my friend Laura!   I met Laura at a quilting retreat in Indiana which was made up of girls from all over the US.  She drove there alone from Minnesota and I drove from New Jersey and she always had the funniest stories about her adventure driving to the retreat.

 I know Laura as an amazing quilter but she was so much more than that.  She was an educator, aunt, daughter, sister and most of all, to me, a FRIEND EXTROADINAIRE!  

We may have been about 25 years apart in age but the way we were together you'd think we were the same age.  We shared an interest in Survivor, Big Brother and of course, Criminal Minds.  She loved the character "Spencer" on the show and when I was in NY last year I found her a poster that I sent her that she told me she loved.  We texted at night thru some of the shows and although she might only say "CREEPY" during Criminal Minds or "He's a lunatic" thru Survivor, I felt we had such a bond. 

I last heard from her on Friday morning and as is the case with everyone, even friends, I got busy so when Monday came and I didn't hear from her I didn't really worry about her but wondered where she'd gotten to all weekend...ya know she loves her roller derby and hanging with her friends...........

May 15th will be here and I'll be heading to Indiana with Michelle for retreat and man o man I'll be so sad knowing she won't be there with "Pepe"  meeting us there for some sewing, chatting, shopping and eating.....

I'm gonna miss you roomie!!!! 

Happy St. Patrick's Day

For everyone that is Irish or wish they were, Happy St. Patrick's Day!!!

Happy National Quilting Day

As if I needed an excuse to stay in today and sew  :)

I'm finishing up a baby quilt for a very special mama to be and then I have some fabric to cut into...seems I'm taking a 2 day class with Pat Speth on the 25th and 26th and need to prepare for that. 
What are your plans for today?

Peggy

What do you see?

     What do you see when you sit at your sewing machine?  I have two views.  One is of my stash closet and the other is of my backyard out the side window. 

During the summer I can see the pool all nice and blue, leaves on the trees, flowers along the house and I can hear the birds and other outside noises.  There's only one drawback to looking out the window, it's the roof of the downstairs sunroom, but it's a small issue and I'm happier just to have a window and to be able to see outside.

     Straight ahead of my machine is the closet minus the doors with metal shelving inside the closet. 

I was going to put a curtain over the door but then I wouldn't be able to see all the pretty fabric just sitting there waiting to be turned into quilts.

     I guess I could say that I'm just "happy" to have a room of my own that I can sew in and not have to clean up and put away every time I want to create.....

     How about you?

     PS:  It's 50 degrees here in New Jersey and I'm loving that I'm not looking out at snow today!




Peggy

A Thought for This Sunday Morning

I Had No Idea It Would Be This Small

   Yes, I do read directions and I do look to see what size the finished product will be but for some reason this little zipper purse came out way smaller than I expected.........even after I saw Michelle's finished purse!

    I found this tutorial on "Lets Make Dumpling's" blog this morning and as usual, I sent the link for it to my friends. 
 http://keyka.typepad.com/my_weblog/2011/08/lets-make-dumplings-free-zip-pouch-tutorial.html?utm_source=Pink+Chalk+Fabrics+Newsletter&utm_campaign=ff0c85b653-ChalkTalk_Newsletter_March8_2013&utm_medium=email

I'm always on the lookout for cute projects for my BFF's birthdays, retreat goodies etc. 
I had decided that tomorrow afternoon I'd assemble one to see how long they took and if I wanted to make a few or not.  Well, I get home from dinner and I get a text from Michelle with a picture of her purse and "easy peasy".   Oh yeah?   OK, so let me pull out some fabric and get one whipped up. 

I stole Michelle's idea about putting the spool of thread next to it so you can see the size...  It's NOT big at all.  I'm sure I could put a small bag of M&M's or a little pack of tissues or a lipstick in it, but it's not going to be something you put a lot in.....
I think it turned out cute!  I used a red with black print for the iniside...
And the answer is, before you ask, yes, it's easy peasy!

Peggy

The Week in a Nutshell

I had quite a busy week trying to get a baby quilt assembled for a co-worker's first grandbaby that's due in July.  You might say, why rush? Well,I realized after talking to my BFF Michelle, who is also my "quilter extroadinairre" that in the next 8-10 weeks or so she'll be packing up the machine and taking off to her husband's next assignment so the push is on to get anything I need this summer done and ready early.  The quilt did in fact get done but I didn't get the backing prepped so I haven't gotten it to her "YET" but I hope to mail it out this week so she can do it at her leisure....
I also need another quilt for around the same time for one of my daughter's best friend's so last night and today I started working on that one.  With luck, I can get both quilts out to Michelle before the week is over.

THEN....yesterday I had the opportunity to meet up with Michelle again and we took a road trip to the Lancaster, Pennsylvania area.  It was snowing like crazy when I left New Jersey, but this is what I drove into as I went over the Delaware Memorial Bridge.  A little bit of clouds, but by the time I pulled into the Christiana Mall where I met Michelle, the sun was out, and stayed out all day.  It was cold...but the sun was definitely out!

While there we visited 4 shops and let me tell you,
I had quite a day for myself.  The old credit card was smoking by the time I left to go home.

One of the shops had full bolts reduced to a ridiculous price so I walked out with 3.  The bottom one is a red that I've already washed and cut into for a workshop I'm attending at the end of the month.  The other 2 bolts each have 8 or 9 yards on them and since they're both cute dots I will use them for backings for baby quilts or some charity tops.  Most of what I did buy are all for planned projects.    Michelle and I had a great time chatting and catching up while we drove all over the place.  I sure will miss that girl when she moves this summer!   BUT.....in the meantime I'm not going to get sappy because we have a 2 day workshop with Pat Speth on March 25th and 26th and then in May we're heading to Indiana for 5 days of sewing with a bunch of friends and I'm sure we'll have a little shopping time thrown in there too...........

How was your week?

Peggy

A Sunday Morning Thought

Just a thought for the day