A Milestone

Yesterday I celebrated a big birthday.  I spent the day with one of my sisters at the spa.  I had a facial, a pedicure and, of course, lunch!  Wonderful gifts came my way and this video which came from my kids and will tell you how old I am and will make you laugh!  I'm still smiling!!

Ever since I created my entries into the ASG Creativity contest I have been thinking about sewing some more garments.  These came in the mail a few days ago...

I have been eyeing these patterns for a long time and finally decided to order them.  I also placed an order for Burda's World of Fashion magazine.  Anywhere I go to read about people sewing things BWOF is mentioned so I'm going to give it a try.   I'll let you know...stay tuned...

Quilting Closeups

I've added these photos again in hopes that you will be able to click on them to see a large view of the quilting.  I can't seem to figure out why I sometimes lose that ability in my posts.  Hopefully this works.

Quilting Goodness

I haven't been able to spend much time with my sewing machine lately, but that doesn't mean I haven't been thinking about sewing!  I attended a lecture by Marti Michell, but forgot to bring my camera so you'll just have to trust me that it was great.  I also went to a talk given by Jennifer Keltner, the editor of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine.  We saw the quilts from the current issue and some from upcoming issues.  It was very inspiring!  You know how much better quilts look in person than in a magazine.

My most recent quilting adventure was a trip to the Vermont Quilt Festival.  What fun my friends and I had!  The quilts were wonderful and the shopping even better.  I also attended an EQ6 class so I could learn more about my quilting software.  Here are some of my favorite quilts from the show:

This quilt is by Mary K. Ryan from Rutland, VT.  She was one of the teachers at the show.  It's called Stars of Vermont I.  She also was a vendor at the show and had some lovely things.

The next one was my vote for Viewer's Choice.  It is by Patricia Delaney and it's called Inspiration Draws from Nature's Art.  I have a close-up of the quilting, but I know it doesn't do it justice.  It won a prize for best machine quilting.  WOW!

I loved the graphic look of this black and white quilt by Suzie Elliot.  It's called April 1550 and it's based on blackwork embroidery (which I also love).  Beautiful!

That's all for now...there will be more...stay tuned...

A Wicked Weekend

Happy 4th of July.  It's a day for picnics, fun and family.  That's what I'm doing...how about you?My mother, two sisters, sister-in-law and all of our daughters are going to see Wicked tomorrow. My daughter and I have seen it twice, but none of the others have even heard the music.  It will be so much fun!  Here's hoping your weekend is wicked too!

Summertime and the livin is easy

I love Summer. No special routine...life is good. I just recovered my patio furniture. Unfortunately I didn't take a before photo. You'll just have to trust me when I say it was dirty, faded and only the black furniture had matching cushions. Now they all do!  We have two patio areas.  The white furniture is under an awning.  It's lovely in a summer rain storm to sit and listen to the rain on the awning.

I still have some accent pillows in a coordinating stripe to add to the loveseats. So, as much as I would like to sit in that overstuffed chair with the ottoman, with a glass of lemonade on the table next to me and a good book, it's off to the sewing machine I go.  (I also need to plant some flowers for the patio).  Stay tuned...

A Busy Week

What a fun and busy week I had.  I took two needlework classes...one from Ann Pettit and one from Merry Cox.  The French Bon-Bon Box by Merry is almost finished and the Good Fortune piece by Ann is only just begun.  Check out their websites for all of their designs...they are both very talented needlework designers.

My daughter was home for her youngest brother's high school graduation.  That's right, my baby has graduated from high school.  Another big change in my life and his too!






Aren't they a handsome bunch!!

Look Ma, I'm an Artist

I took a fabric painting class with Linda Visnaw last week.   We used Tsukineko inks to create these flowers on fabric.  We then did machine quilting to add thread details to the flowers.  I only finished one because I had to give my piece of batting to someone else in the class (I have lots of batting pieces here at home!). 

I haven't had time to do anymore painting, but I've got lots of ideas.  Stay tuned...

Another finished project

The last few days have been spent finishing this quilt.  The embroidery designs are originals that my friend and I created using our embroidery software.  We then taught classes on how to create each block.  This represents a whole year of teaching!  Today the quilt is going to competition for the Husqvarna Viking convention.

A Life Changing Experience

Last year Alex Andersen told my friend that she needed to attend the Ricky Tim's Super Seminar. She said it would change her life. How can you resist something that will change your life? We joked about it and signed up. Four of us traveled to Glens Falls, NY and all I can say is "wow". We received a spiral bound book with all of the instructions for every technique that was demonstrated. There were three days of instruction and so much shared that our heads were spinning. We didn't know what we wanted to try first when we got home! Check out Ricky Tim's website and get to a Super Seminar if you can. He does four of them a year in different parts of the country.

Ricky Tims

Libby Lehman

Alex Andersen

What a talented group of quilters...and now my life is changed!

Look what I've been doing...

I entered the American Sewing Guild's 2008 Creativity Contest.  I chose to enter the 5 piece wardrobe category. (yes I'm crazy).  What fun I had!  This contest is sponsored by the Simplicity pattern company.  I could choose from one of the selected patterns and adapt, adjust and modify to my heart's content.  I chose Simplicity pattern 3634 and off I went to my stash.  I was originally a garment sewer, but I have been primarily quilting for the last 15 years or so.  That didn't stop me from still buying garment fabric and my stash is quite a large one.  The only fabric I purchased for the challenge was the skirt fabrics.  Everything else was already in my possession.  I guess you would call it a "stash busting".   Here are my 5 pieces:  a reversible skirt, sleeveless top, long sleeved top, sweater knit jacket and capri pants (with embroidered trim).  

I had to send a folder with photos and fabric swatches. If my entry is chosen as a finalist I will have to send the actual garments for judging. Stay tuned...

One month later

I have been a lazy little blogger. I've been very busy...I just haven't been blogging!
I picked up my framing. These are both pieces by Merry Cox. If you are a needleworker and you've never taken a class from Merry you are missing out. She has a very limited teaching schedule so check it out and get to one of her workshops! I am very lucky because she comes to our sampler guild every spring to teach her latest pieces. We know it's spring in Western NY when Merry Cox comes to town.

Ahh Vacation

I spent the last week in the warm sunshine of Florida...ahhhh...just what I needed. First on the west coast watching my youngest on the baseball fields.
Then a few days on the east coast visiting my parents.

It was so relaxing. I read two books and did some knitting on the wallaby sweater for my no. 2 son. Now it's back to the real world with a new vitality!

Snow can be good...

We got a foot of snow here over the weekend. I was happy to be stuck at home. I started to clean up and organize my sewing space. The operative word here is "started"...I have a long way to go, but I'm feeling much better about myself. All of my stuff was beginning to creep toward me and rise up around me. So far I have two large garbage bags to go out in the trash this week with more to follow. There will also be some donations to charity and maybe even some things showing up at etsy. Stay tuned...

Working away...

There's been a lot of finishing going on here. I took two needlework samplers to the frame shop on Saturday, and a quilt just came back from the quilter. The battery on my camera is dead so the quilt photo will have to wait. I have another needlework piece that I am focusing on right now. The knitting has taken a back burner (sorry Dan, your sweater is moving very slowly), but I am going away for a week and it will be in my suitcase! I have also been working on a silk top that just needs buttons and a hem in the sleeves. I have been very good about not buying or starting anything new...we'll see how long that lasts...stay tuned!

More of Beautiful Vienna

Here are some more of the beautiful sights in Vienna.

Christmas in Vienna

On Christmas Day we went to mass and heard the Vienna Boys Choir. When the mass began the priests and this choir entered the church. When these men started to sing I was sure we had been had!

Then a few minutes later the boys choir started singing from the upper balcony. It was the most beautiful sound I have ever heard!

Vienna, Day 2

On Christmas Eve we had breakfast on Prater's Ferris Wheel. My husband loves the movie, The Third Man. This is the same ferris wheel that is in the movie. You can just go for a ride on it...or you can have a catered meal.

The views were amazing.

Happy New Year

I love the new year. It's a clean start, a fresh slate, a new beginning. I always have great plans for great things on this day, but before I get to that I have to go back and give you a little review of the Christmas holiday because this year it was a special one. The whole family met in Vienna, Austria to celebrate...no gifts, the trip was the gift, which meant no crazy last minute shopping for me! We spent five days in Vienna and two days in Salzburg. It was a dream come true!
We stayed in a beautiful hotel in the heart of the "Old City". We were able to walk everywhere and everytime we went out we saw something new. Here is what it looked like from our hotel window.


...and that was just the beginning! Stay tuned...

Bits and Pieces

The Wonderful Wallaby is now in pieces again. It was a little snug and a bit too short. I only had to rip it back to where the sleeves were attached because it fits perfectly around the picky one's body. I will start knitting again as soon as I am done with my annual "sewing for others" projects.
I made these purses for a friend...and after the holidays you will see them in my etsy store.



I just had someone pick up three Christmas stockings that she cross-stitched and I put together...I forgot to get a photo of those...and now back to the sewing machine to finish three more stockings. A huge snowstorm is on its way so I've got to get them done so I can sit by the fire and watch the snow fall!

Give Thanks

I am not cooking Thanksgiving dinner for the first time in about 5 years. yippee!! Thanks to my little sister and her husband, I will be enjoying someone elses cooking this year. This is also the first time my children won't all be home for a holiday. I'm very sad about that so a change of venue is good. It will seem different anyway!
The Wallaby sweater should be finished this weekend (unless I have to take it apart after the picky one tries it on), but my number 2 son wants one too. I have been finishing up a quilt that I started a few years ago, but more about that later...stay tuned.
Happy Thanksgiving to you.

Big Knitting

I have always just knit for myself or for baby gifts. The last baby gift I knit was The Wonderful Wallaby sweater. My son saw it and asked if I could make him one. Sure, I said. He picked out the color (a lovely navy blue) and I started...and I knit...and I knit...and he tried it on because he's VERY particular and I knit some more...and he commented that the sleeves looked puffy so I had him slip one on...and I knit some more...and I'm still knitting! It takes a long time to make a sweater for a picky, young man who just asked me "What if I don't like it?" Arrrgghhh!

Autumn slump

I'm in my typical autumn slump. I'm not sure I know why I detest this time of year...maybe the cold, the shorter days, everything going dormant...how about all of the above!
I am particularly sad this year because my mother-in-law passed away last week after a very, very short illness. I try not to get too personal in this blog because it's supposed to be an account of my accomplishments and projects, but when I am not accomplishing anything I have to explain why.
I am trying to look on the bright side right now...my mil was going to have months of suffering ahead of her, our children were all home (including my son who is in school in Scotland) and I married into a great family. That's it--my cup is half full--things are looking up already.

A Time of Learning

I have busy learning new things since I last posted.

My husband bought me a new laptop for my birthday this summer. It's a Mac so I am trying to learn how to use it. It's pretty easy, it's just different from what I'm used to and I find I still need to use the PC for many things.

My #2 son is spending his junior year in college in Scotland so I am also learning how to "Skype", I love it because I can talk to him and as soon as I find a camera that will work on his Mac I will be able to see him too!

I learned how to knit a toe-up sock called Anastasia...well, I have the toe done, but that's all because I am also knitting a sweater for my #3 son and it's taking a long time! I have also been getting back into some needlework projects that I want to finish. Here is a photo of "command central"--my phones, my needlework, a couch, a TV and a computer all nearby (oh and the knitting bag is right on the floor!) I'm ready for winter!

So I think you can see why I haven't been posting, but I'm back...stay tuned.

Holding on to summer...

This summer has been the fastest one yet! I'm in shock that the calendar says September. Today was my son's first day of school. As he mentioned last night, his "last" first day of high school. I realized when he said it that we will be having a lot of "lasts" this year. I am going to try to enjoy every minute!


I have been knitting up a storm. I have finished a Wallaby sweater and two of my sons would like me to make them one! I'm really going to be knitting now!!!

The beginning of the school year always has me thinking about organization...I think it's all those clean notebooks and folders and new pens and pencils. So off I go to do something organizational...stay tuned!