A Few Days at the Cabin

This is where I've been the past few days...Duck Creek, Utah ...where we enjoyed wonderful weather, soothing light rainshowers, soft mountain breezes, frequent deer sightings, fishing, and family time. In other words--relaxation! Along with loving the change in weather and scenery, I read these two books:

I enjoy the Jennifer Chiaverini series--I'm ready to start the tenth book now (although I prefer the books set in times past to the more contemporary-set ones). I also really enjoyed Living Artfully, it has lots of ideas for increasing one's creativity as well as fun ideas for new family traditions and activities. And here is where I sat reading and stitching as much as I could--on this delightful swing.

Here are a couple of the projects I worked on--block two of Leanne's House and my first two Noah's Ark stitcheries (free block of the month stitcheries by Lynette Anderson Designs).

Today we traveled back home where daytime temperatures are 40 degrees higher than up on Cedar Mountain...I think I'm ready to go back already!

Some Works in Progress

The collage above shows the first 10 blocks of the "Sampler Magic" block of the month quilt I am working on. I have had a terrific time working on these blocks...just haven't quite made up my mind yet how I'm going to finish the quilt.

This is my first completed block of the Fat Quarter Quilt Shop's Mystery Designer Block of the Month from the "Peace on Earth" line by Moda. Block two just arrived Saturday, so I'll get to work on it right away!

Another one of my projects is the "Leanne's House" stitchery quilt by Leanne Beasley. I'm working on it as a block of the month with my "Pink Ladies" stitchery group at my favorite Las Vegas quilt shop, The Christmas Goose. I just finished block one, and block two is ready for stitching!

These blocks are another block of the month project--Civil War blocks from the book The Civil War Love Letter Quilt. By December I will have completed 24 of them, then I'll just have to decide on a setting.

Oh, and this is a project on my to-do list. I saw stitcheries from this book all over "blog-land," and I can't wait to start some of the fun designs here!

So anyway, that's just a sneek-peak of some of my on-going projects. I have a few more I'll share another day. Also, I've officially started working on quilted Christmas gifts for family and friends...maybe I'll share some of those in upcoming posts...of course I won't be able to tell you who they are for!

Quilt Day!

On Friday I got to spend the day in St. George with some of my quilting friends. We were able to rent the classroom at Scrapapple Quilts and sew to our hearts desire. My project for the day was to start work on my Halloween quilt--I got all of these blocks started; I just need to do the machine applique' and then make the filler blocks.

I picked up a few half-yards of "Swell" by Moda while I was there as well. I also picked up some Christmas fabric at 40% off--love quilting fabric on sale!

While I was there, my friend Dawn surprised me with a birthday gift. It is wonderful! It is a mat carrier bag--and just look at the back (below); it can be used for ironing while at a class or retreat...guess I'll have to find a class to take.

Well, that's all for this post--I do have another post to put up today, though!

Projects!

Here is some of my new fabric ready for Christmas projects. I love the Moda "Peace on Earth" line, and I absolutely can't wait to start a project with the Moda "Winter" line. I have a jelly roll of "Winter" on its way--and then I'll have to decide what to make!

I recently finished "A Quilter's Journey" by Leanne Beasley. As soon as I figure out my borders...I will start hand quilting it. In the meantime, though, I've just started her "Leanne's House" quilt. I am having sew much fun!

Check out the link on my sidebar for the fun "Stitchers' Angel" project this August. There will be free patterns and a swap that I'm going to enter!

Happy Sewing!

A little bit late...but Happy 4th of July!

It is really hot outside...for some reason these 30's quilts seem to make everything seem a lot cooler. The two Dresden plate blocks were actually made by my great-great grandmother Emma Acelia Wakefield Fitzgarrald. The other two photos are from a reproduction fabric quilt I made a couple of years ago. My grandmother tells me that she remembers both of her grandmothers quilting when she was a young girl. She vividly remembers being at her Grandma Fitgarrald's where a group of neighbor ladies had congregated to quilt a quilt that was on a frame set up in the parlor. My grandmother was able to sit on a footstool under the frame and play house while her grandmother and the other ladies quilted. Later on, when my grandmother was a young teenager, her Grandma Fitzgarrald cut out a butterfly quilt and taught her to applique and buttonhole stitch--she still has those blocks! Grandma's other grandmother, Mary Gilchrist Bice, also quilted; she always had a quilt started for one of the grandchildren. My grandmother's red lily quilt that she sets out during the Christmas season was made by her Grandmother Bice. Just a little bit of my quilting heritage!

So here I go...I'm starting a blog! I've been so inspired by all of the amazing people who share their creativity and inspiration through their blogs that I decided this would be a great way for me to continue my journey as a quilter. Hm mm...where did my journey begin? I began sewing as a young girl and did lots of sewing for myself and my family as a teenager and young mother (I even made store samples for Cloth World as well as prom, pageant and wedding attire for myself and others). I have to thank my Mom for encouraging me to sew and for providing everything I ever needed for any project I wanted to undertake; I also have to thank my Grandmother for always giving home-made gifts--clothing, home decor items and so forth, and for also providing encouragement (my first real quilt was made at the prodding of Grandma, and I've been hooked ever since). I must give credit to a very talented Aunt who inspired my love of the needle arts, and I have to thank all of my quilting friends who provide "quilt inspiration" on an almost daily basis!!! Well, this is it, the end of my first post--of course I already have ideas for future posts, but for now I need to get some sewing done today!

P.S. Please be patient with me as I learn to navigate this blogging stuff--and a big thank you to my wonderful neighbor who is showing me how this all works!