Chocolate Truffles & Quilting

It's quite amazing how far chocolate can take you in life. I have been making chocolate truffles for decades now, usually just to send around the country as Christmas gifts. On occasion, I've made them locally as well. It was during one of these local truffle makings that someone very special discovered me. It was love at first bite on a cold January day. On further inquiry, this special someone discovered I was a quilter and that my husband was a tie-dyer.
I've been holding on to this little secret since this spring when it all began with that truffle. So, I will finally share the news that my husband & I are now published tie-dyer, quilter, and artists!!!!!! Sid wrote an article for Quilters Newsletter Magazine about how to create his stars. I just saw the early copy of the October/November issue of the magazine. We are so excited!!!! I thought I should let you all know to look for it at magazine stands in the next few weeks.

Ice Fishing for Star Flowers

Here is the next in our series of Star Flower quilts. My husband put the fabric into the soda ash one day to prepare for the next days dyeing. When he returned to the bucket, it was frozen on top. Now, this is a really salty mixture and doesn't usually freeze! It did this time though and Sid broke a hole in the top and proceeded to go fishing for the fabric. He choose to go for the purple/aqua combo that always looks great. I also had him pleat the borders. I learn something with each quilt and this one taught me not to quilt feathers on pleated borders. It took a lot of time and they just disappear into the pleats. Sid and I have just started planning and creating quilts together again. Sometimes our ideas work and sometimes they don't. This one came out quite nice though and is for sale at my Etsy shop, www.mountainjoyquiltndye.Etsy.com.
Speaking of Etsy, my mother and both sister-in-laws have Etsy shops now too. I love it that there is somewhere for all of us to do our thing. There are so many creative people in the world. It is simply fabulous! Keep quilting and creating!

Seeing Stars

Psyche- delic Stars that is!

I have been so consumed with worries and frets and all sorts of stuff I couldn't get a hold of. Well, certain things have been happening for me lately. I am still not going to divulge everything, but I will say my pack of tired angels came to the rescue again. Frets and fears calmed down enough that when I had a day off yesterday, I actually decided to play. Work-play in a way as these pieces will be for sale at some local stores, but still play. I have so much fun quilting over my husband's stars and flowers. It is like.........coloring outside of the lines, or adding the lines to someone's coloring. We are newly inspired recently. We have plans of challenging ourselves to create daily. For husband (Sid) this means dyeing at least one awesome designed piece each day. This means they will pile up so I must quilt one each day. I think this will not only allow us to build up stock but hone our skills. Practice makes perfect (or better each time!) We'll see how this plan works out amidst all of our other works. I don't care so much about age, but if anyone has found the store that sells "spare time", let me know.