Amish Block Swap and walking around Arizona

I finished up my two blocks for the Amish Block Swap we were doing on BC. If anyone was a member of BC and is wondering what happened, contact me and I'll let you know where we are meeting. BC is still down and we're not sure if it will ever be up again. In the meantime Dorene has set up a Yahoo group so that we can all chat and do our swaps. This is the block that I've made for the Amish swap. I designed it myself... might be something similar out there. I wanted a block that had the feeling of an amish quilt in block size.
Drawing of the winning names will be coming up soon.... first of Feb! Good luck!

This is me walking around my BIL's subdivision by Superstition Mountain. Al and I are trying to walk everyday and so far are doing well. There sure are some beautiful homes out here. We've been checking out the more modern versions of desert southwest. Hoping to get some ideas for our new home in Michigan..... IF ours ever sells. I don't have a problems with it never selling since I really love the place we're at right now. But if it does, then I'm ready to design something totally different from anything I've ever done before. VERY modern, clean lines and small. What am I going to do with my huge collection of fabric, you ask? OK, not THAT small :) Got to have a big sewing room no matter what. I can live with two bedrooms, a smaller kitchen, smaller great room, etc but I have to have my large sewing area and walk in fabric closet.

My hand is still in a splint and typing is very hard to do. It's getting better, the swelling has gone down somewhat and that's the reason I did a little sewing. And I hope the little bit I did doesn't hurt the progress I've made. I'm just dying to work in my Dr. Suess quilt... I've drawn it up and now I need to do some cutting. Today Al and I are out at an outside mall (I'm in Starbucks getting coffee and wi-fi) where we'll get him some socks and underwear plus get some walking in. I'm going to take some pictures of a fountain they have here... it's so cool... it's a fireplace with a waterfall in front of it! I would love to design one of these for the new house... maybe in the yard?

After days in bed...

Well, I'm finally back up out of bed. Not quite sure what it is that I get when I come down here to AZ but seems every year, I pick up a bug on the way down or have an allergy to something down here. Anyways, I've been in bed for the last 4 or so days. I'm up today... Al wanted to go to the Barrett-Jackson auction so I told him that I would drop him off. That gives me ALL day to hit the shops :)

I know you are all thinking I'm out fabric shopping but SURPRISE, I'm not. I went out to the clothing stores to get some walking shoes, knit pants and sleeveless tops. We've decided to go to the gym everyday to work out ... hasn't happenned because I was sick but starting tomorrow it will. I didn't bring much to wear to a gym. Most of my spring/summer clothes were getting pretty sad. I lucked out, found some great sales and got everything I needed. So now I'm relaxing at a bakery (no treats, I don't want to have to work off any more pounds than the ones wrapped around my waist right now) and having a chance to get online.

As I was wandering around the web today, I found a really cute site with a bird block. I'm planning on making this one. It's just too cute. Here's a link to it... http://www.littlemissshabby.com/2011/01/birdie-stitches-block-1/
I guess break time is over... I need to continue shopping. We still need some baking supplies so that I can make Al some cookies tonight.

We're back in Arizona

Al and I have arrived in WONDERFUL Arizona... it's sooooo nice and warm! We got a call from DD2 this morning and she told us we missed out on 5+ inches of snow... OH DARN! LOL It's high 60's here and sunny. We are all unpacked and have my temporary sewing room all set up. I need to get to work on a few swaps that I haven't mailed out yet. Rebecca, your scrappy strip blocks are first :)

This is a picture of the quilt I made for my mom and dad for Christmas. It's all out of brushed cotton (flannel?) with a poly batting. It's so nice and warm. I made one for Mom & Dad and one for Al & I. Ours is home in the lqs... a sample until next year. So far this is my favorite lap quilt. It was easy and very cozy.

I took a picture of the mitten that my daughter, Jenn, is making. She made two lefts using this wool so she gave me one and we both made a right to go with the other. This is a super simple pattern. Jenn and I also made Lisa a set also using some cute orange and gray stripe.

Well, today Al and I are going to head out to get the oil changed on the truck. It needs it after all those miles. Then we are off to shop a bit... get some walking in (all those Christmas pounds need to get burned up!) and maybe barbeque some dinner.

Got to say a quick hi to mom and dad and wish dad a

HAPPY 80th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!

Cookies and Tea at Mom's

We've begun our yearly trip south and the first stop is at mom and dad's house. It's rough spending the night here... all we do is chat and eat and shop. YUP, it's rough :) I'm working at the computer and was brought tea and cookies... got to keep up my strength, ya know. Yes, I plan to eat all of those!

We went to a quilt shop in Berkley this afternoon. I've never stopped at this one but Lisa (our DD2) recommended it to me. She said they carry lots of Kaffe and I LOVE that. I bought a little... not too much because we have lots more stops to make.

After shopping for fabric we out to a middle eastern resturant for hummus, beef barley soup, baklava (Mmmmm!) and smoothies. Yummy. We had a chance to visit with Lisa and bf, Josh for a bit. I also stopped at a Salvation Army store and found a real FIND. I'm collecting Fiesta and happenned to find 4 lime green mugs in NEW condition. (5.99 for 4). Can't beat those prices. Also bought a bunch of books to read... those were only 5/$1. Can you tell this is one of my favorite places to shop? Aside from being a GREEN thing to do, it's great for my wallet :)

So tomorrow Al and I start heading south, out of Michigan. But we won't be leaving the snow if you can believe the weathermen. Looks like we'll be driving in it for the next few days... all the way into New Mexico. We will be getting up at the crack of dawn (as usual) to head out. Al planned this so that we don't have to worry about Detroit and Chicago morning work traffic. Well, my tea is getting cold and there's some cookies here calling my name......

BIG, BIG NEWS... favorite quilt shop in Quilt Sampler Magazine!!

Well, 2011 is going to be a great year... I can just tell :)

Now that's it's January, those of us that work at the Charlevoix quilt shop, Hearts to Holly, can announce that we will be in the spring issue of QUILT SAMPLER as one of the top 10 shops!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are all so excited. It's been a super busy fall and winter getting ready for this. Sue, the owner, has a party going on all day today at the quilt shop. She has some wonderful discounts, cake and punch and of course fantastic fabrics!

I bought some Dr. Seuss FQs this morning, plus a layer cake of "Charlevoix" fabric from Minick and Simpson:

The Charlevoix fabric line (Moda) will be the fabric used in her quilt that will be in the magazine... of course :) She is taking pre-orders for the kit and listen to this... It comes with a signed copy of the magazine, the pattern (designed by Sue's daughter), all the Charlevoix fabric AND a custom label with a picture of the quilt shop on it (Sue's daughter is an artist and did a beautiful drawing of the shop). Anyone that wants in on a kit (there's a limited number) can call Sue at Hearts to Holly (231-547-2729) and reserve it. It uses mostly creams, blues and deep reds. Perfect for summer.

She's also taking orders for Charlevoix fabric by the yard. If anyone needs jelly rolls, charm square packs or layer cakes, she has those now but they're going FAST!

SO, CONGRATS, MIKE AND SUE!!!!

You deserve this honor. All of us that frequent your shop feel more like family than customers. The town would not be the same without all that you and your family do.

And... Last but certainly not least, my background for this blog is my Christmas gift from a wonderful online friend. I took it with me to the shop this morning to show it off. Isn't it pretty? It looks so nice on the wall in the aqua bedroom. Thank you again, Rebecca. Al and I both love it :)

Christmas

Can you believe Christmas is here and gone?! That sure came fast and was over just as fast. Seems like I barely had time to visit with the girls and they were off again. :(
Al and I are out to breakfast and I brought one of my Xmas gifts along with me. Jennifer's boyfriend (we're hoping he's family someday) bought me this book... she must have told him about my love of quilts from Japan. I love these neutrals. I'm so impressed with the talent evident in these quilts.
Santa was EXTRA good to me this year. My sewing room has lots of new additions... my quilt book, fabric (Kaffe!), a wonderful candle shaped like a spool of thread (how does Lisa always find these thing?!), fabric gift certificates, scented drawer liner to make my fabrics yummier and xmas lights shaped like threads. Then there was a BEAUTIFUL wall hanging from my BEST internet buddy. I'm hoping Al will hang it today so I can take a picture of it. The machine quilting is amazing... she is SO talented. Thank you, Rebecca! I also received some wonderful dishes to add to my collection of FIESTA... Jennifer picked out two pretty colors, yellow and green. Someday I hope to have almost all of the colors so that I can mix and match to do a colorful table setting. Our next home is going to be fairly modern (a big change for us) and I think these will add a nice touch of color. Another FANTASTIC present was my chocolates...mmmm... Godiva!! Lisa's boyfriend bought me a box of my favs, open oysters. I have to admit they're all gone. I KNOW, I'm so bad... but I just couldn't stand them sitting there staring at me... calling my name. After fabric, chocolate is my biggest weakness. Well, I could go on and on with the list of goodies but let me just say thank you to all my Santas... love you all! Wish the day lasted longer.....

This is for Jennifer :)

I thought I had lost a picture I took of a quilt I made for my great-neice. Cleaning out some drawers (something that has been VERY neglected) I came across a flash drive that had some old pictures on it... pictures I thought were lost and gone forever. I plugged it into the library computer today and found the picture below. I'm thrilled to have found this one because Jennifer loves this quilt and I hope to make another for her "someday" little girl. I didn't use a pattern so the only way this one was going to be remade was to get a picture from my neice or to find this picture. :) :) :)

Here it is, Jenn:

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas

Well, thanks to a suggestion by Jeannette, my hand is improving. I'm using the supplements she suggested and guess what?!!... I think it's getting better! I'm going to keep using these since they're an all over good idea. Thank you, Jeannette!

Yes, Rebecca, it is great to have a houseful at this time of year. I'm really glad that the two girls will be home together this year. Last year one came for Christmas and one came for Thanksgiving.. It's just not the same. Years ago we would get together at my moms... ALL of us.. my 4 brothers, my sister, our kids, grandparents.. that was really nice. But now so many of us live elsewhere.

Gerda, I admit, my hand is probably an age related problem... Al is always reminding me that I'm no spring chicken...LOL. I know I have a tendency to overdo when it comes to sewing. I could sew for hours and hours... and sometimes do. But cutting gets to my hand. Hope you're keeping warm up there in Canada. It's been so darn cold here, it must REALLY be cold up there. I know that can play havic with the old bones.

Now to say hi to my family... It's hard to get a chance to talk to all of you but I thought this would be a good time. Hello to all my relatives in CA... Rick, John, Uncle Russ and Reva, Laura, Keith, Alexandra, Natalie. Hello to Karl, Sue and family in WA, Larry and Ciera in N Carolina, Karl, MaryAnn, Keith, Angela, and Connor in southern MI and everyone in MN. I also want to say a special hi to Eric and Tori and their sweet little children... you have a couple of GREAT kids there. Hope one of these days we can all get together again. And an EXTRA big hello and HUG to mom and dad. I hope ALL OF YOU have a great Christmas!

Santa's workshop has closed!

I finished up the last Christmas gift and everything has been shipped! Putting the sewing machine away till after the holiday.... AHHHH... now to put up my feet.. OH WAIT, I forgot... now I've got to get cooking and baking.

Lisa will be here for Christmas along with her boyfriend (I think), and Jenn is coming with her boyfriend so were going to have a nice get together. But we need food! Lisa and Josh are vegans so I usually make two different types of cookies and snacks. It's a bit of a challenge to cook for vegans but I've found some interesting foods that I enjoy ... foods I probably wouldn't have tried if it wasn't for Lisa. Growning up, if someone mentioned eating TOFU I would have crinkled my nose up but now I've found some types I really like. I just have to remember to follow the recipes. I forgot to put the sugar in the pumkin tofu pie that I made for Thanksgiving... that was NOT good!

I mailed off all the Christmas cookies that I baked. I traded cookies for crab with one brother that lives on the coast of CA. He's a fisherman and he gets the BEST crabs. I've been dreaming of these for a while and yesterday a box of them showed up on my front porch. Al and I munched on cookies and crab last night. I don't want to think about how much butter we consumed yesterday... between going out to breakfast at The Original Pancake House (they use REAL butter and cream), having all that crab dipped in butter and then eating loads of butter cookies... well.. I guess this Mrs Claus is going to fit the image this year! We packed the last of the cookies up last night and Al is mailing those today so now it's time to bake for us.

Don't know if I've mentioned that I'm having problems with my right hand. With all the sewing, and cutting and rolling out dough and working, my hand has taken a beating. It's swollen between the knuckles and is burning. Hopefully after Christmas it'll calm down. I can hardly write so I'm having Al write out some Christmas cards... my handwriting is with my left hand and it looks worse than chicken scratch. Last night I took a couple of Aleves to help reduce the swelling and I think it worked... somewhat. I'm typing... slowly... hopefully I won't have to cut much fabric at work today.

Blizzard weather here in the north

This is a picture I took at noon yesterday... COLD!!! The winds were gusting over 50 mph. Today the wind chill has temps WAY below zero. Al and I spent some time outside cleaning the driveway, the porch and walkways. We got out to go to town but there isn't much happening. I think most people are staying inside.
So with this cold, windy weather I just stayed in and kept warm... sewing in my room. Finished up a few Christmas presents... now just a couple more to complete and I'll be done. I did a little baking... got the gingerbread men done. I need to have LOTS of cookies baked in the next few days because I send them off to my brothers in CA. Usually I wait till last minute so that I don't have all those goodies around tempting Al and I. If I make the sugar cookies too early, they all get eaten and I have to bake them all over again. :)

Getting a scrappy quilt made up...

This month it was my turn to receive scrappy blocks from many of the ladies at block central. I just love going out to the mail box and finding nice little fabric surprises in it. Three more are on the way and those along with the ones I'll be stitching up will be enough to finish up this quilt.
This quilt is going to be a gift for my neice. Her dad, my brother, just won custody of her and they're both very excited to be heading to North Carolina.... BUT she does need a few things and I think everyone needs their own quilt. I'm planning on using a flannel backing for this and it's going to be TIED, not quilted. I want it to be done fast!
Thanks to all my BC friends for the blocks :)