Christmas, Quilts, and Dogs

 A very Merry Christmas and tidings of a Happy New Year to all!
I just finished this quilt recently.  It is McKenna Ryan's At Home in the Woods pattern.  I worked on it for a client for 2 years, slowly doing the cutting of the pieces next to the fire when it is really cold up here.  The quilt came out quite nice but I have decided that I do not love the look of fusible applique.  It is just raw and unpolished for my taste.  The pattern was beautiful though and there was no way to create it using any other technique.  The fine details in the flowers, bumble-bees and hummingbirds could not have been achieved without using the fusible technique.  All in all, I am very happy and proud to have finished this quilt. 
The photo of the dogs is basically for my husband's mom.  She loves to see how her grand-dogs are doing.  This is Bo and Gwyn (who is growing up) sleeping on their favorite blanket (which has proceeded to the next life already) and the fireplace glove that Gwyn likes to have close by.  I love that they keep me company in the studio, yet lately I've been trying to explain to them that if they interrupt my too much - no Kibbles next month.    Also, they lack the knowledge (or faith) that I will be right back, they don't need to follow me everywhere.  Ah, it is good to be loved though.
Peace, Blessings, Love, and Hope to you all!

Quilted Christmas or Santa on the Blinds?

Christmas is coming and quilting is where it's at.  It is so nice to be home quilting away.  We have amazingly nice weather and I have been quite the busy quilting B.  I just fell in love with this fabric panel when I raided my Aunt's stash over the summer.  There were 2 panels and I made this quilt up to be on sale over the holidays on my Etsy site.  I will be using the other panel to create a gift quilt for my Aunt (probably for next year). 
When I get a really nice panel like this, my favorite thing to do is "faux-punto!"  That is what I call it when I slip extra batting layers into certain areas (such as under Santa and the animals) to give them a more puffed look.  I think it adds a little more life, character and dimension to a simple top.
Here is a photo of half of the family keeping me company while I work.  You would not believe how many photos of the dog-pile I am beginning to get.
Sid is just pretending to sleep in this one, but often times they are all sacked out and snoring in my studio. 

Beautiful Quilts, Beautiful Week

Nana's Hannah

 This is Nana's Hannah.  I quilted it quite heavily with all sorts of free motion designs.  I actually photographed them all and will be compiling them on my website at some point in the future.  I was really happy with how this quilt came out.  It was hand pieced by my  paternal grandmother and I got to quilt it.  How fun to be able to pass along such a treasure carrying the generations of a family working together.
I was also able to finally finish a quilted wall piece that has been around a while.  It was an inspired day when my husband handed me this piece of hand-dyed fabric.  I just saw the landscape.  Moonlit Mystery is the first in what I hope to be a long series of landscape quilts.  I find them so peaceful, tranquil and inspiring both to create and to gaze at almost in meditation.  I am not he only one who loves this quilt.  It was unfinished but on display at my open studio tour.  I had several offers for if I finished it.  It was on hold while I did all the other quilts recently and then I had a day to finish.  It was easy to decide who to call first with an offer.  I was struck by the last woman to visit my studio that weekend.  She had obviously been having some health issues and just wanted something new (she also wrote down that she wanted it with her phone number on my mailing list).
Years ago, I was told by an amazing woman that I should/needed to be making healing quilts.  It has been tickling my brain as to what these quilts would look like, not just the healing intentions sewn with the threads that hold the quilts together.  Maybe I have found them in the landscape quilts.  Healing is an ever going, ever changing process.   My one wish today is that all people have the strength, courage, and support to heal themselves and this beautiful earth we all call home.

Our Foxy visitor this week

6 Quilts in a Week

The sun rises on this beautiful day which is surprisingly still very fall-like.  I've been expecting snow for a while, not to worry though, it will catch up and I will be whining in January.  It is fun though to watch the snow blow around outside.  I have a lot of windows and the wind is fierce up here, often times I can look out and feel like I in a snowglobe.  Wow, it sounds like I miss winter, that's weird.  I have been working too hard.

Block from the Reversing Climate Change Quilt

Block from the Stopping Domestic Violence Quilt

I got 6 quilts done last week.  The first was the little dog quilt I blogged about last Sunday.  Then, I got a rush order to do 3 quilts dealing with big issues.  The blocks were created by a group of Methodist women and they were large banner type quilts each 55" wide.  The quilt that dealt with Immigration Reform was 120" long, Reversing Climate Change was 99", and Stopping Domestic Violence was 88".  There is fourth in the series, but lucky for me it still needed borders put on and was not dropped off with the others.  My client told me not to take the time with custom quilting.  I was too honored to be a part of these visual portrayals that I had to give my piece.  They were simply quilted, but I did more than just straight-ish lines that we discussed.  They looked great and I am happy.  That's part of being a quilt whisperer, always do justice to the quilt regardless of price and time.
 The next 2 quilts I did were for another client who does white quilts with poems and such written into them.  Some have great stories with them and this weeks were wonderful.  I do not share these stories here, as she has her own quilt business and I hate being the one spoils any surprises.  You can visit her website, www.commaworkshop.com if you are interested in these quilts.   
Today, I am going to load and begin the next one for my grandmother.  It is either a Dear Jane or Hannah, I've been referring to it at as Nana's Hannah cause it's fun to say.  She hand pieced this quilt and it is gorgeous!   Once again, I find myself nervous in beginning.  It is hard being a realist perfectionist (you know, wanting and striving for perfection yet truly knowing it is unattainable). 

Threadplay Breathes Life into Quilts

A dog named Bailey gets new life.

I was given this cute dog quilt to do something with.  It was already quilted with the binding firmly attached when I got this quilt.  The quilting was done well.  It was invisible thread holding down the edges of the applique pieces.  My client's desire was to have it look less flat.  It was a wonderful little quilt already (and this client happens to be my grandmother's), so I began with a little trepidation honestly.
It was such fun though and I quickly learned all the stitching looked great.  I kept changing thread colors and designs depending on where I was in the piece.  When I was finished, this dog had so much more character than before.  The texture of the hair was what was really missing on those fabrics.  The back of the quilt looks really cool now too!  I hope Nana loves it.

Here is a little food bit for you all.  Now that I am home again for the winter, there will probably be more postings of recipes.  This is just an idea that I know I can not have been the first to come up with.  So, I made a box of mac & cheese the other day and then while reaching for the parmesan cheese, I spied the leftover bacon.  Oh, what a delight!  I am so glad I sprinkled the cheese and the bacon crumbles onto the macaroni!  Delicious but Dangerous is the board I am creating on Pinterest for all these recipes.
I am blessed with work and would love to be doing the next quilt (I have 7 to do this week).  Sadly though, I woke up though with a seriously swollen thumb. (arthritis?)  Hopefully it will go away soon and I can get back to playing on my long arm.
 I wish you all a beautiful fall filled with inspirations!

The Moose of Mountainjoy

We have had many visiting  friends lately.  They have enjoyed getting to see some of our more regular visitors.  The moose are very comfortable here and they love to eat my aspens.  This mother and child pair have been sleeping here quite often of late.  So has another rather large and beautiful boy.  I enjoy their company and see that the dogs leave them alone.  I just wish they would eat more thistle and less fireweed or aspen.  I had no fireweed this year to make mead from.  And that is a bummer, but I am not about to start fighting with moose and am very happy that they like it here.
I've had friends with us most of the week and more are coming up today.  I got 2 quilts done, but they are for Commaworkshop and are mostly white writing on white fabric - something a photo does not capture.  I have yet to create the memory quilts webpage, we'll see how much I can get done today.  Only one more week at my farm job though so winter is coming and my computer time of the year begins.   I did re-open my Etsy site though, yeah!!!!
Keep on quilting and creating!

Fabric of Our Lives

The aspen leaves at this time of year are simply wonderful.  I haven't had time to take photos with anything other than "retina-chrome" this year and they are starting to fade.  It is pretty much the same every year, breath-taking gold and green that can be replicated.
The pups are sacked out right now and I just finished the 26th quilt for one of my clients.  She has been keeping me pretty busy this year and I'm always looking for more quilt clients.  I truly love being a part of these stories that get past on.
When I work on quilts for other people, I learn about them throughout the process.  I am touched by their lives and stories.  I have been doing a lot of memory quilts this past year.  They all have their own unique stories to share.  I have decided that one of my next "to do" projects is to put together a page on my website that features all these wonderful quilts and the stories as I have learned them, through the fabric of lives both past and present.  I promise to get it done in the next week, I have to take some pictures of my private collection first.  The family tree is hung high up on a wall and will require some effort.
I have been feeling a bit lazy this weekend and have decided to take it easy as I have been so busy.  Therefore, this weekend I only did 1 queen size quilt and began a sweater for my husband.  Fall and winter always make me want to knit.  This year, I am going to remake his favorite sweater.  It is so much fun to pick out yarns for a new project.  So full of hope and swing as I start the first few inches.  I am still in the "joy of new project" stage.  A few more inches in and I'll be wondering why I'm not done yet.  It is not a short attention span, it is wondering why it takes so long.  Does anyone else experience this?

It took quite a while for me to get these personal quilts done, but perseverance pays off.  I love my bedroom now.  Here is a photo of the quilt made from our wedding Huppah and the signature quilt of wedding guests on the wall.  The quilt has my favorite design, The Seed of Life.  I went very simple with my quilt, it does not have any bias tape on it.  I usually make the seed look stained glass with black bias tape and then I have been known to lay down miles of colored bias tapes in Celtic knot work around the borders.  (Visit my website gallery to view several versions of this great design, www.mountainjoyquilts.com). 
I had a very busy weekend with the 1st Annual Gilpin County Artist Open Studio Tour.  I had over 30 people come visit my studio which is really good considering how far from the beaten track I live.  Everyone was just delightful.  They loved my work, my long arm, and my funky mountain home.  It was a great experience for me and I loved meeting all the new people. 
Looks like rain today or possibly our first snow?  I must get to work now, I have a queen size quilt to do today.  I hope everyone has a fabulous week!  Keep on creating!

Open Studio

Here is my gorgeous, sunlit studio going back together again.  I am so happy when I walk into my studio now, it is like walking into dripping golden honey without getting sticky.  My husband did such a good job and learned enough about laying flooring to do the back half of the house sometime.  A friend gave us some great oak flooring that was reclaimed from either a church or school in Kansas.  That is a project for another time though.
I am readying the studio for the 1st Annual Gilpin County Artist Open Studio Tour which is this next weekend.  I am very excited about opening my studio and sharing my love of quilting with anyone who wants to take a drive into the mountains to catch the aspens changing and some great artwork.  There are 17 people on the tour and I am quite honored to have been invited to participate.
If you live locally and would like a map, contact me for one.  I will gladly respond to all serious inquiries.
I have never looked forward to winter before like I am this year.  We have lots of firewood and I have a good deal of quilt work to get me through.  Not to mention, I get to work in the space above with the wood-stove blazing and the snow falling outside.  The dogs and I will have a lot of fun snow-shoeing too!

Logging Off for a Week

Hey Everybody,
The studio is almost all cleared out and the wedding cakes are ready to deliver!  The carpet is supposed to get ripped up today but I said I needed a little computer time first.  I have to notify my few but faithful followers and get a few autobiographies supplied to Gilpin County Art Studio Tour group.
So, here you go, I am will be logging out and taking my computer apart in a few hours.  My phone still works though if anyone needs to contact me.  Look forward to photos of my new studio in a week or so.
Keep creating and have fun!

Dog Tired

Here are my babies taking a well-deserved break.  This last week was quite long, hard, and surreal. 
We had two friends that left Colorado and a lot of stuff in our basement.  There was a lot of comings, goings, and sorting happening.  We ended the week doing a catered dinner for 16 for friends of ours.  The photo was taken right after delivering the meal.  It was also our 5th anniversary of actual marriage.
We had the most wonderful night of doing absolutely nothing!  We were told to go out but after such a week as we had, it was so nice to just be home with only my husband and animals.  We had delicious New York Strip steaks and honey gold potatoes fried with some garlic.  Simple and perfect!
Today, we pull everything out of the studio so we can remove the carpet and expose the beautiful hard wood underneath.  It will be so much nicer to sew and dance on now!  Maybe we will feel like going out tonight for our anniversary dinner after a lot more hard work.

August Update

I have always loved the design I used on the green borders of this client's quilt.  It really compliments the fabric.  This was one of last week's quilts and it came out quite nicely.  Some of the other updates/highlights of the week are as follows.
I was asked to be a part of an Artists Open Studio Tour.  It is timed nicely for just after I remodel my studio floor which will involve taking everything out of my studio.  This will be no small venture, I have a lot of stuff!  I might not show before pictures, but I'll post after ones for sure!
 I cooked up a mess of food for a catering gig for a friend that ended up being next weekend.
I went to a fabulous annual event with some dear friends.  It was the Cultiva Benefit Dinner last night, which is a great event for a great cause.  It raises money for the Growing Gardens project in Boulder which supports many wonderful programs but especially dear to my heart is Cultiva.  This program teaches kids how to grow food, be responsible, and give back to the community.  These are great kids!!!!
Today was a "day off" and I waged war on the thistle colony that seems bent on taking over my back yard area.  Which might actually be mine in the near future.  Part of what I thought was my property traded hands a few times and after many years and negotiations, it might become part of Mountainjoy again.  Yeah!!!
Lots of good and busy things are happening around here.  The rest of  August holds:  my Anniversary, making a wedding cake for friend, doing a long arm demonstration, re-doing the studio floors, and a visit from my awesome mother-in-law.  Life is good.

Getting Along

These two are starting to get along.  The day Bo realized she was girl puppy and not just this little biting black fuzzball was pretty funny!  The cats are doing better with little Gwyn too, one is very much playing with her and the other is hiding less.  The problem with Gwyn learning from the cats is that she thinks she can move like they do.  Therefore, I will often bust Gwyn following a cat onto a chair and then onto my sewing table, computer desk, etc.
I've been invited to do an Artist Open Studio tour in Sept.  That means that the studio floor remodel will definitely be happening.  I have a long arm demonstration to do at the local library and that is the perfect time to move everything out and just do.  More likely, I'll move everything out and have my husband refinish the floor while I work on a 4 tier wedding cake. 
I have been doing the quilting on many quilts lately for Kerry of Commaworkshop in Boulder.  Her quilts are doing wonderfully right now and I believe there will be an article about her in the New York Times July 26th.

Top Secret Sister Quilts Revealed

Here is a photo of one the quilts I made last month.  I was given the challenge to create two identical king-size quilts using my Aunt's glorious collection of Hawaiian fabrics.  They were created quite quickly too as one was to be a gift for my mother at the family reunion we just had.  These quilts commemorate the past and future trips to Hawaii that they have shared as sisters.  I am very happy with how they turned out and that I was able to keep the secret until now. 
It is very hard to keep secrets from my mom.  I just told her I was working on top secret stuff and quit calling her.  I think that is why it was extra fun to do a quilt with her on my Aunt's long arm while we were visiting.  I had missed her a lot. 
I am back home again and happy to be with my husband and animals.  I'm also really happy it finally rained here in Colorado.  I was gone for 12 days and my puppy doubled in size.  So many things to catch up on, but I've been dying to share these quilts. 

Blessed Be, A Puppy For Me!

Look what I've been blessed with!  I would like to introduce my new puppy Gwen.  She is a lab mix and we got her last Monday when she was only 6 weeks old.  After sleeping for about 24 hours straight, she is proving that she really is a puppy.  Chewing on everything such as us, our shoes as we walk, the big dog, the window screens, etc.  It's really adorable carrying around a tennis ball.  Pretty much everything she does is just too cute for words.  I think that is how puppies (& children) get away with so much. 
I remember talking to my dad about that when we picked up Bo.  Now, Bo is a Catahulo and was very hard to train to be a good and gentle dog.  He got into so much stuff though one time, I had to lament to my folks.  That was when dad told me about the ratio that definitely exists between how cute something is and how much trouble it can get into before a death sentence is decried.  Like all small critters, this one is cute enough to make it to adulthood.  
You might be able to see the unopened roll of batting behind me.  It shows how much work I've gotten done this week now, doesn't it?  Actually, I did a get a quilt top done and now I can spend today cleaning and puppy-proofing the house.  Gwen showed up about 2 weeks earlier than I had planned on.  It is a good thing I kept all of Bo's old puppy collars and stuff.  I do need to get anything I don't want chewed up away from the floor area and up to safety.  I guess I'll be playing "queen of alternatives" for a few months.  My constantly flowing monologue for this role is "No, don't chew on -----, chew on this" while switching toys.
By the way, my husband told me that I have not had THIS smile on my face for years.  It is good to happy!

Wedding Memory Quilts

I got married to my tie-dyeing husband 5 years ago.  As mentioned in earlier blogs, the whole wedding was tie-dyed including my dress and the Huppah.  It only took me these 5 years to finish because I'm always doing projects for others.  This is the first time my mom gets see this quilt finished.  She painstakingly pieced this dahlia quilt for me of the fabrics we had people sign with their well-wishes.  Along with the usual love & joy, some of the wishes were fabulously funny such as "If this quilt is a rockin', don't come a knockin'."
This quilt was no different than any of my other learning experiences with quilting even though I didn't piece it.  I have done signature quilts before and one was a great family tree that used fusible applique.  During that quilt, I learned it was better to attach fusible to the back of fabric before people signed it (the fabric doesn't wiggle and you don't have to use sandpaper).  So, I talked my mom into doing this for our quilt.  She didn't know that she was going to choose a Dahlia pattern.  For anyone who is thinking of doing this---Never, Ever fuse the back of fabric if you are going to make a Dahlia!  Mom did a great job and it actually quilted and lays pretty flat for all the stiff bulk that went into the seams.  This quilt will soon be hanging over our bed and the finished Huppah quilt will be on our bed.  Our room will look so nice if I ever get around to arranging it!  Photos to come in the future (near or far).
I was visiting the Quilters Blogging site this morning and found it was updated.  Michelle is doing some amazing work trying to keep all of us quilters connected and informed.  She has put out an invitation for more quilt bloggers to join the directory.  If you are not aware of this site and directory yet, you should really go check it out.  I'm setting up a link so you can get there quickly and start reading about quilters and their experiences world-wide.

Spring Wildlife

I am currently working on a Top Secret quilt project, therefore you must be content with an update about Mountainjoy today versus quilts.  The wildlife is returning!  This past week has brought us some very special visitors.  First of all, the hummingbirds are back.  I had a little ruby red-throat sit at my empty feeder the other day. I jumped up and got him some food.  I've heard several more hummingbirds in the air but have not been dive-bombed yet.
The moose were here all winter long.  It was only 2 days ago that we actually almost hit one with my car.  We headed out our driveway (which is a chute and only belongs to us).  Suddenly, there was a moose in front of us!  My husband was a bit surprised he didn't see it until I reminded we don't normally look for cross-traffic in our own driveway.  The moose viewing happened in the evening.  The next morning, we had more visitors.
It was 6 in the morning and I was looking at emails waiting for the coffee water to boil.  It scared the pants off of me when from right behind, the dog goes off barking like crazy.  I looked out the window and didn't see what all the fuss was about.  I wanted my coffee.  My husband stayed by the windows watching.  His patience was rewarded as he got to view a pack of black wolves traveling fast in a long strung-out single file line along the trail the moose followed the evening before.  How cool is that?  Such majestic creatures they are!
Yesterday morning, I saw a beautiful owl headed back to it's home to sleep the day away.  He must have had a long night to going home so late in the morning.
On the smaller creature scale, I have chipmunks and rabbits to spare!
I'm off to do top secret stuff (it's so much fun to say) and you all keep quilting and crafting!

Quilt of the Week

This is a close-up of the one of the center motifs I quilted into this weeks quilt of the week.  I had so much fun working on this quilt, I used almost every technique that I know.  This client loves my freehand quilting, in fact she thinks it would be a shame if I went computerized!
 I choose to go with many custom designs to compliment each of the sampler designs.
 Shown in the close-up is one of my original Celtic knotwork designs that I quilted using my laser followed by free motion fill-in.  I used the follow-the-laser then free motion fill in for a complex pinwheel block throughout the quilt as well.
In other areas, I did free motion pinwheels and feathers.  The border is all free motion using my Leaf & Scroll design.  For the gridwork in the checkered spot, I pulled out my acrylic rulers so I get them nice and straight.
It is great to know a lot of different quilting techniques and designs to employ in the quilts I do.
 I always try to do justice to the quilt.  That means listening to what it wants to look like and following through.  In this quilts case, I could easily have done an all over pattern.  Instead, I had to listen to the quilt tell me every block was special and worth the custom quilting and tucking of few thousand threads. (Yes, thousands!)

It was worth it though as I am proud of the quilting (difficult for this perfectionist).  It will be picked up soon and I hope the client likes it too.  That is always one of my heart-wrenching fears is that my client won't like what I've done.  The people that seek me out truly love my quilting, I fear it is my blood to be a worry-wort.
Okay, I have to go make cinnamon rolls now for the blacksmiths that will be showing soon!
Keep quilting and cooking!

Our Celebration Dinner

I managed to pull off the house cleaning and a fabulous feast for eight wonderful friends.  We had all the traditional Seder dishes that included 2 types of haroseth.  A guest made a delicious version using a 15 year-old Late Bottled Vintage Port and golden raisins, it tasted like apple pie.  The chicken soup Sid made was great but my matzo balls were tasty sinkers.  I continued a new tradition for us that began years ago when I couldn't get out to get Matzo crackers.  I grew up in New Mexico, so I made tortillas on the fly that wintry night years ago and it was so popular that people now demand them.  The main meal consisted of brisket, noodle kugal (both delicious recipes from my mother-in-law), roast asparagus and stewed prunes.  Dessert was my deadly Chocolate Oblivion Torte and home-made macaroons.
I must take a moment here to complain about what is happening to the foods in this nation.  Okay, I searched the grocery store for prunes.  I finally found them and grabbed a bag real quick because the boy stocking the shelves was in the way.  I didn't bother to read beyond prunes.  Sid ate one late at night and didn't want to tell me anything was strange.  I mentioned that I needed to get orange juice to simmer the prunes in and Sid started laughing-really hard.  When he caught his breath, he informed that I purchased orange flavored prunes.  Now, what is up with that?  Why do we do that?  When did foods stop being what they are - simple, natural, one ingredient?  I'm sorry, but it just drives me crazy.  I'm not saying I don't love my Hickory Smoked Almonds or other flavored foods, but sometimes I think it gets taken too far. 
Now, it is on to quilting today while the boys blacksmith.  Last weekend, along with everything else, I did the emergency quilt and a Pineneedle Block of the month.  Today's quilt is a beautiful sampler for a client.  We have a salmon party to go to this afternoon.  I love spring in the mountains when we all burst out of hibernation and start catching up on fun.

April Quilt Showers

At the beginning of the week, I thought I had a lot of free time coming.  It turns out that I don't like free time anymore.  I just don't know what to do with it.  So, instead of relaxing the past 4 days, I went on a marathon of getting stuff done.  Are you curious what is possible in a weekend?
Well, it started with whipping up a quilt top for my friend's baby that I just got to meet.  I was going to quilt it over the weekend, but the best laid plans.....     
On Friday, I got a call with an emergency quilt and a non-need-now quilt.  I received a huge package in the mail of quilts to do from a second client, and a third client called and said she's pulling together an order for me of I don't know how many quilts!  In one day, I think I got over a dozen quilts to do.  Wow!!!!
I did my taxes on Saturday-always so much fun for the math challenged.  Speaking of math challenged, I still feel I need to send my 9th grade geometry teacher an apology quilt for all the arguments we had over the applicable uses of geometry.  I'll never forget those heated discussions with Fruiti.
I should get off the computer now and do that emergency quilt.  It is best to stay on top of things these days I think.  That way my free time can turn into good times!!!!  I have to clean the house really good this week in preparation for Seder and a visit from my mother-in-law.  She has tried to visit a few times earlier this spring but had to cancel once for her own reasons and then we had to cancel because we were snowed in.  There is no snow now (or sadly, any sign of snow), so it safe for a visit.  My mother-in-law is wonderful, I really do love her dearly.  (I am writing this because it is the truth, not because I know she reads my blog!)  She is such a hoot, I can't wait for the visit.
I hope everyone has a lovely April.  Keep quilting, cooking, and crafting!

Here is a photo of the most recently finished quilt.  I nicknamed the "Sage King".  A client sent 2 queen size kits and asked me to make a king size with some pillowcases to match.  Easy enough. Well, something must have happened to my math skills (never strong to begin with) when I was doing this quilt.  I don't know why I can piece really complicated stuff with ease and then  really mess up on the "simple" ones.  Yes, the quilt pattern was really easy, I just don't know why I become an idiot at times.  I will not disclose to anyone how much time I spent working backwards as that is never something to boast about.  In the end, however, I did finish with a beautiful quilt and pillowcases that I can be proud of.

 Golly, I do have 2 cats!  It's hard to remember at times when they are just black fuzzballs running through the house.  The brothers spent a nice afternoon keeping me company recently.  When I say nice, that means they weren't brawling with one another for a change.  I was watching them give each other a nice bath the other day which quickly turned into an "I've got you pinned by the neck little brother" scene. These are two of gentlest yet fiercest cats I've ever seen.  Luckily, the big brother is incredibly smart for a cat and even speaks English pretty good.  He keeps his dumb-as-a-post younger brother in line.  These guys were found very young in a dumpster and I fear the smaller one will never be warm enough or full enough, regardless of the fact that he is almost as big as his brother now.
Spring definitely looks like it has arrived.  Most of the snow we got is gone and it is unusually warm.  I get to go back to gardening iris at Long's Gardens tomorrow.   It will be nice to be surrounded my friends and flowers again.  It was wonderful to have made it through the winter on my quilting skills and I have every hope that I will continue to grow as a quilter.  I have new ideas in my head right now for a new line of quilts that I want to make.  We'll see how long it will take this procrastinator to get things going.

Human Again

Another week of blowing my nose and coughing has gone by.  I am feeling better though!  I had the most fabulous quilting day last Friday.  It was the type of day when everything just comes together with ease.  You know those ones?  A day when you accomplish a lot and do not feel stressed, worried, rushed, or any other negative feelings. A day when everything just flows on beautiful, warm & sunny rays of light.  
I designed and drew a new pantograph, loaded the king size quilt, and even got halfway through the actual quilting.  Now, this was the first time I decided to baste the quilt pieces to the leader by machine sewing instead of pinning.  I think I saved myself some time.  The really great thing was that I had a perfectly loaded quilt without the finger or back pain!  What was surprisingly super-awesome fun was using my seam ripper to unload the quilt in a matter of 2 minutes!!!!! 
We had a great boiled corn beef, cabbage, and potato dinner last night with 6 friends.  I made a yummy apple pie and a new version of soda bread.  This was a basic white soda bread recipe but I tweaked it with rolled oats and malted barley extract.  It came out with great flavor and though it was a little dense, I received no complaints from the crowd.  
The snow is melting rapidly.  I have heard some new songbirds returning.  I even saw some moths outside the other evening.  Spring is making its presence known to my soul.  Even though they are calling for more snow, I have been given hope again that the drifting winds will cease to blow someday.

March Update

I am loving the longer, warmer days.  My car is making it up the driveway again.  I am reminded lately of how much I hate colds.  I need to relish in my health if I ever get it back!  We tend to be pessimistic dooms-dayers when under the weather, don't we?  The only thing worse than me being sick is when I give the cold to my husband.  Maybe next week, I'll better things to report.  Until then, may you all be healthy and happy!

Sleeping next to the fire has been a popular activity recently.  We managed to capture this photo early one morning.  I don't think the dog even knows he is using the cat a pillow.  Can you see the tail sticking up out of the sleeping bag?  That is Loki's tail.  I rescued to boy brother cats and of the two, Loki is the one that thinks he is a dog.  In fact, his nickname is Big Dog. 
It is hilarious how this cat treats our dog, who could eat the cat if he felt like it!  Luckily, I trained the dog into a sense of brotherhood/part of pack mentality with the cats.  So, Bo mostly puts up with it when Loki cleans him.  The funniest though is when Loki does what we now refer to as a "drive-by".  Let me set the scene for you.  The dog is standing in the middle of a room looking to the humans for attention(biscuits).  It is a quiet and still moment.  All of sudden (from another room usually)  there is a flash of black as Loki runs in, jumps up and gives Bo 2 smacks to the nose or chest!  It is always with a closed paw, no claws are out or I'd have gotten Bo Doggles a long time ago.  Loki finishes this acrobatic feat with a jump down and a look at Bo that says, "Yeah, you're mine!".  Humans and dog are usually too stunned to do anything but laugh and wonder at the cat's audacity.

Me and My Brothers under the Huppah

I've been working away on quilts, some for clients and some even for me.  I have been finishing up our wedding quilts.  When we married in 2007, my husband tie-dyed many things for the event.  The first was my wedding dress - it was so pretty and I was so proud not to have achieved that homemade dorky look.  He dyed the shirts for my brothers to wear, (my husband was dashing in a western morning coat with tails). He also tie-dyed our Huppah covering and lots of fabric for people to sign.  Well, 4 years later, I now have a queen-sized quilt made from the Huppah and a wall quilt that incorporated all of the guest's well wishes for our future into a dahlia pattern.  And it's all in the colors of my wedding!  What a way to remember a great day! I'll post photos soon (I still need to bind the wall quilt). 

February Flying By

I've been overloaded with work and a cold for the last few weeks.  I did a few small quilts for a client that came out rather nicely and really worked my custom-quilting skills.  I'm still babysitting a couple days a week (that's where I got the cold).  I'm working on rush order quilts for another client.
I parked at the bottom of our long driveway for a week or so due to the snow.  It's quite a workout carrying bins of quilts and bags of groceries up the drive.  I'm going to have my husband make a sled that our dog can pull for next years snow-ins!
Speaking of my dog, Bo is recovering quite well from his surgeries.  He is running around like nuts and people ask what the shaved spots are about.  Without the shaved parts, one would never even think that he'd just gone through surgery.  I love our vet!
I actually finally joined Facebook though I haven't even set up my own profile yet.  I look forward to connecting with all sorts of people and keeping closer tabs on some of my family members.
I have to get back to the grindstone now.  I just wanted to give everybody an update.  I hope to update my website and etsy site soon too.  Oh, what I wouldn't give for more time and energy!
I hope everyone has a wonderfully crafty week!

Good Morning Snow

I drove home on clear roads last night at 6 pm with it just starting to snow.  These are not small cars under the snow.  The smallest is a Jeep Cherokee and the other two are a Scout and a Blazer both with lift kits.  This photo was taken at 9 am this morning and we just took a measurement of 26".  It is still snowing like crazy and I expect another 2-3 feet by the end of this storm.  Yeah!!!! We finally got some the moisture we need.  I am of course going to enjoy being snowed in for a few days quilting and making bread and maybe a split pea soup.  I do however feel sorry for our friend who stayed the night last night.  He had lots of things planned for the day and now we are making him breakfast.  There are worse places to get snowed in than Mountainjoy! 

Busy Times Means Handwork

Taking care of my best friend has been the focus of my days for a week or so now.  Bogie was due for a shot when I noticed a lump on his leg.  At first, I thought it was an infected dew claw.  My fabulous vet didn't buy that story.  He took one look and announced "malignant tumor, let's get it out right away."  The next day, we denied Bo his breakfast (he hates that part) so he could go in for surgery.  Doc did a great job removing the pre-malignant tumor, 2 fatty Lypomas, 2 skin tags and giving the needed shot.  At about 2, my husband got a call stating "Bo says he is ready to go home now."When my husband got there, Bo was howling (and had been since he woke up). 
The receptionist was on the phone when my husband arrived and began howling back to our baby.  Bogie endeared several of the vet assistants to him with his pitiful pleas.  One of them actually crawled into the cage with Bo to try to soothe him.  I was very touched when a mutual friend shared that bit of info with me.
He is recovering well and was back to jumping around in no time.
With my very busy babysitting, chauffeur and Bo's surgery recovery, I have not been able to focus on a large project.  Therefore, I have been doing handwork.  I've got to block of the months I've been working on for a client.  They got more attention this past week, one block done for each.  I bought a little carrying case that all the pieces and sharp stuff goes into and it makes it so easy to just sew for 15 minutes while at the vet's office.  I can sew longer periods of time while the child naps but as soon as I hear him wake up, everything gets thrown in box and clasped shut real quick before I go get him from the crib.  I really like this new little system I've worked out.  It is hard to keep track of hourly time though when doing 10-15 minute stints.
Time to go make blueberry coffee cake for the blacksmiths.  Have a great week!

Here is the finished quilt I teased you all with in last week's blog.  I was given about 50 ties to make this quilt with.   I was told that I could do whatever I wanted as long as it was masculine and large enough to fit on a bed top.  I settled on the Windmill patter which is a variation of the pinwheel.  Do you see the signed Cal Ripkin Jr tie in the lower corner hiding behind the aloe plant?  I choose to showcase several of the ties with character or importance.
In order to get it large enough for a bed spread, I went to my silk stash.  This is a bag of silk fabrics I inherited when I was a teenager from a rather famous Taos,NM artist.  So, 20 years later, some gorgeous brown silks from the bag made their way into this quilt as sashing.  The windmills were actually kind of static so I arranged the sashing in step-ladder style to move the eye across the quilt.  
Once it was all quilted with free motion pinwheels and ribbon-cable sashing, it looked better than I had envisioned.  This is pretty rare for me.  I love this quilt!  Now comes the time I hope the client loves what I did too.
It's another windy day here in the mountains.  The boys are out blacksmithing anyway.  They haven't built a shop yet so last time I looked, they had hooked up a steel plate in the vice on several logs to create a wind block for the forge.  Hmmmm, those boys.  I suppose I should make them stew for lunch if I want to be really nice.  At the moment, I should be doing my sales taxes for the year.  I might just enjoy a day off in between quilt projects though.  COOKING AND CLEANING, HERE I COME!
HAVE A QUILTERIFIC AND CRAFTASTIC WEEK!

Remebrance Quilts

Quilts almost always tell some type of story.  Sometimes, however, the story makes the quilt.  It is really quite special for me when I get asked to create these "Remembrance Quilts".  They are so unique as well, they would have to be as they tell the story of someone or event that should be remembered.
The quilt pictured to the right here --------------> was the Christmas gift I created for an accomplished runner.  For this quilt, I was given her cross-country and track or marathon t-shirts.  All the teams she she called hers and all the competitions she ran are here in this quilt for her to remember.  They aren't in a box somewhere at the bottom of the closet anymore.  This quilt in now in her college dorm room screaming to world that this girl loves to run!
   

Another silk tie quilt is about to be born.  In this photo, you can see how I am chain-piecing these Windmill blocks.  My awesome husband once again fused the interfacing to the ties and cut all pieces for me.
(Note:  Choose the lightest weight non-woven fusible interfacing that is made for sewing into clothing.)  This quilt is going to the grandson the Johns Hopkins graduate.  This was a great tie collection with a lot of character and what I started dorkily calling "NovelTies".  I did some special pieced blocks out of some of the ties and then we made 56 windmill blocks.  It was a touch small for a bed so I added sashing strips in beautiful brown silks and then borders.  I finished the top yesterday and am going to quilt today.  I must say, I think this quilt is gorgeous! It turned out so much better than I had imagined and that is really rare!  I am so excited to quilt it today.  Here is the Hopkins Block, tune in next week for photos of the finished quilt.

We have a lot of tree clean up to do this week.  They came through and cleared 5' each side of the power lines on our property last Wed.  Now, I know this was a necessary thing and we kept all the logs to make furniture or such out of.  The Lorax in me though is so very sad at this tree death.  These were even healthy trees without signs of pine beetle. So, while I quilt today, I think Sid and friends will be cleaning up all this mess.  At least the professionals took down the giant tree with a rotten core that was going to fall on my studio and long-arm!

That's all of a catch up for now, I have to get to quilting.  Happy New Year and Happy Quilting!