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!