2 Years!

  Time goes by so fast! Two years and I have not looked at my blog! I was burned out. My father died two years ago, after he went through a long hard battle with diabetes  and all of the terrible complications that come with that disease. I was taking him to the doctors every week for check ups, in between his many trips to the hospital.

  I had been going to Quilt Market for the last 18 years (I'm not sure how many years!) and there have been so many changes. 
  The feeling of Market has changed through the years. It was fun to see all of the different designers, most of us were independent designers. We would meet and explore the many ideas we had come up with since we had last seen each other. The fabric companies were all ways important, but they did not control the designers. We could use what ever color or style we wanted for our quilts. And the biggest difference was that we were all working on making the art of quilting individual for all different styles, looks and interests for people.
  I noticed that the last few Markets were showing the same look. I know that we all ways want the new ideas, but the fabrics  that do not relate to each other, make a certain look of quilt. And everyone likes to finish a quilt quickly, but I don't need more than a few big block quilts.
  I have loved my many trips to Quilt Market and they hold a very special spot in my life. I still love quilts and I will not stop making them. I am trying to follow quilt patterns, but I can't stop making my own changes to the designs. And I will be dreaming of designing quilts again.

Scallops and more!

Good Morning!

I have had a lot of things going on since the last time I posted on my blog.

I caught the flu from my grandchildren and was down for 2 weeks and then almost 2 weeks more not being able to move too much without being down again.

Now that I am pretty much on the mend, I can spent time on some fun projects I have been working on.

I have been working on a quilt with the Scallop Magic

 ( I'm sorry these are upside down, my computer and my iPad would not flip them.)from Lakehouse fabrics! Have you noticed them at your quits shops?

Here are 4 of the blocks I have for the quilt, I have 1 more to applique, then I will be putting them together using more of the Scallop to high light my blocks.

These are fun to work with and come in great colors!

 How about making flowers with the individual curves?

I’ll show you now they look finished, I hope at the end of this week.

Last week I had to stop sewing to attend a painting seminar here is Salt Lake City. I have been attending this seminar for a long time, at least 8 years, probably more. Wonderful women come from across the country to paint, and we get to know each other in the way that only women can, through love of similar passions, family stories and time spent together.

This year we painted one box in one of two patterns. I chose to paint the Curiosity Box. It is so fun and whimsical, and the colors were bright and cherry, just what I like. I of course have to change a few things on my box, I have this need to make things a little different, or just to make it mine. I hated to have the week over, now it’s back to normal life. Cleaning, washing dishes, all the things we do to make our homes nice. And when I am finished I get to quilt again!!

I have worked on my quilt and a few other projects and I have the middle pretty much finished. What do you think?

Up side down again! I'll work on that. I know there is away to turn it around, but mine did not work. Here it is for now I hope you can get an idea of how it is suppose to look. I just need to add the borders and it is time to be quilted.

There are new colors of the Scallop Magic to use with any project you want to add a little whimsey.

See you next time!

Laurie

Hi again!

My husband loves to get away during the winter, leave all of the snow and cold behind. But, this year we have had a very mild winter, unlike the eastern states so it was really a trip to get away after all the Christmas rush. We went on a trip this year the second week of January.

We went on what at that time was the worlds largest ship, the Norwegian Getaway.  We visited St. Martin, St. Thomas and the Bahamas. It rained in both St. Martin and the Bahamas, and it was beautiful while we were at St. Thomas.

While we were there we went to see Blackbeard's Castle. Not really a castle, but  a tower. A tower with a beautiful view of the bay. Next to the castle is a beautiful house built during the height of the Dutch and Pirate occupation.

Beautiful tall ceilings, doors and windows open to the sea breezes. As I walked through the rooms admiring the beauty and grace that once would have been the style of that time in history I turned around and saw...

A sewing machine!

Right in the master bedroom!

I knew I had found paradise!

Can you imagine living in more beautiful place and having a place to sew to your hearts content.

As we walked down the hill we went into another wonderful home, built not long after the first home we had been visiting. (They became homes to me once I saw the sewing machine). This one was just as striking as the first. Tall ceilings, doors, windows and a veranda to watch the world sail bye.

I was lost once again in the image of beautiful women in long dresses,  living in a world of color, beauty and once again I was surprised to find...

Another sewing machine!

And look at that table it is sitting on!

I know I am a dreamer. But this was so unexpected I had to share it with you.

I guess that is why I appliqué, I can't day dream while I sew at my machine. I have tried and the seams are not very straight!

Time to go, 

Laurie

Happy New Year

2015

I can't believe that Christmas is over and it is now January 2015.

I hope everyone had a good holiday season this year. We were busy, just like everyone, but it was different for me because I had a my veins stripped in my left leg. First the front and then the back. I had to stay down at first, really careful for 5 days, then slowly work back into my usual schedule after 2 weeks. 

Since I had my first procedure the week before Thanksgiving and the 2nd the week before Christmas I was not moving fast.

I learned that I did not have to do all of the things I had on my list. I did a lot of shopping on line and let the less important things I usually do for Christmas, go undone.

We had a wonderful Christmas and no one noticed that things were not the same.

I have boxes and boxes of decorations that did not get opened up. They will have to wait until next year, unless I decide to use less again.

Did I mention that it snowed all day Christmas Day! We ended up with about 9 inches of snow by about 7:00pm.

This is my front yard.

This is our tree upstairs. We also have a tree in the family room downstairs it is real, so that we do have the smell of Christmas.

Another reason this has been a different year is that 2 of our quilting friends passed away. They were both fun, inspiring people, who I will miss. Our quilting community will not be the same without them.

**************

The first part of November I was able to attend a quilt retreat held in Deer Valley, Utah. It is beautiful up there on top of the mountains that over look Park City. It was put on by Quilts, etc. a wonderful store in Sandy, Utah. If you need anything for your quilts, stitching, doll making, what ever, they have what you need.

It was a mystery quilt retreat and for me this is a big stretch. I am very picky about my fabrics and my designs. I have to have my colors just right, etc.

For the retreat you choose the fabric bundle you want to use and then they give you the steps to make the quilt.

I was not too excited about how my quilt was looking, I liked the 9 - patch,but the blocks in between did not look the way I liked. So I worked on the quilt I did not finish from last year.

 I have been thinking about how to use the 9-patches that I made.  Here is what I came up with. I like how it has worked out.

Here is the 9 - patch

Here is the block I am going to make out of the 9 - patch.

I think it will be fun when it is completed.

I have another quilt I am working on also that is applique. I have shown you the blocks. I needed to take a break so that I can recharge my ideas for more blocks in that quilt.

Time to go now.

The tree downstairs is dead and I get to take it down before the mess is too big.

Good bye for now,

Laurie

Good Morning!

As I say all most every day - Time goes by so fast!

It is Tuesday and Monday just flew bye. Does time go by this fast for everyone? Today I am going through my quilts for a trunk show tomorrow. It is so fun to see my old quilts, they seem like old friends to me. Each one has a history, a time of my life when I made them. I can remember what was going on in my life and my family's lives.

I have been blessed to have spent so many years working hard with my hands, my imagination, and wonderful people who love quilting. At least 15 years going to Quilt Market, each year a different city. 

I have had adventures in Pittsburgh, Atlantic City, Minneapolis, Houston, Portland and Kansas City.

As time goes by I miss the people and excitement of "Market". But I have met new friends in the last 2 years and hope to meet many more.

Have a good day where ever you are. The weather is beautiful here in Salt Lake. Fall in the air and I am ready for new ideas and adventures!

Laurie

Lake Powell

Hi again!

The whole month of September has slipped away and I have not had the time to sit down and write. The colors are changing around us and the days are getting shorter, fall is here even if the calendar doesn't day it is here.

I have busy working on new blocks. I have had so much fun designing my new yellow baskets. I had forgotten how much fun it can be to put the colors and shapes together and then add a little stitching, buttons, or what ever I find in my stash.

This month I have been cleaning our some of my quilting projects. I found 6 finished quilt tops! They have been farmed out to be quilted and I'll show you some of the results. A few of them were from the Mystery Quilt Retreat I have been going to, and some have been class ideas I had planned to use. The fun part of it was to see so many quilts leaving my house to be finished.

Lake Powell and it's many beautiful sites,

Rainbow Bridge

Have you ever been to Rainbow Bridge in southern Utah?

My husband and I have were lucky enough to go down to Lake Powell this past weekend with a group of friends. The only way to see this beautiful spot of the world is by boat.

Lake Powell in it's self is like being in another world. The rock walls, cliffs, canyons and open water ways are majestic. We stayed in a small bay with a hugh rock formation called the Cookie Jar. 

Rock really sandstone falls away form the formations to make the beautiful enclosed bay we stayed in. My husband and I went for a walk on the rocks the first morning. As you can see from the pictures below we docked on the rock, so we did not have a sandy beach to walk on. So up the hill we went. It was beautiful! We thought we could go around the water to the other side of the bay, but half way through it became very steep. Just as my husband said we should turn around I realized just how steep it was and started sliding down the rock. 

After he caught me and was sliding himself we finally stopped. I have not been that afraid in quite a while. Slowly we moved side ways to the part of the hill that we could walk on with out sliding down the wall.

We learned our lesson, and were careful the rest of the trip to swim and boat with respect for nature.

 Our friends boat was our home away from home

 Views around our boat

I'll show you the next block as I finish the last one and maybe I'll know how it will be all put together some time soon.

See you again,

Laurie

Hello again!

It has been a little while since I posted. I have been out of town a couple of times and now that we are at home it feels like I never left.

We did have a fun time in San Francisco. My husband had to go down for work, so we went down a few days early. We flew in on a Saturday and we know that the wharf is all ways busy on Saturday, but it was crazy! We tried to park, but found that all we did was drive around in circles. So our next idea was to go to the Italian restaurant that we like neat Coit Tower. It was crazy there also. I guess thousands of people have to go some place.

We found out that there was an outside concert going on and that someone had sold counterfeit tickets to hundreds of people. They could not get in to the concert and had to make other plans for the evening.

The next day we drove down to Monterey. I love Monterey and the weather was perfect. We stopped at one of the fruit stands and bought some strawberries, grapefruit and eat fried artichokes hearts. You could see the strawberries in the fields as you drive by and there was a hint of strawberries in the air, they were wonderful.

I found my new profession!
I knew that I loved Monterey, California!

While I had downtime on our trips I worked on my new block. Here it is, the 2nd block of my new quilt.
I 'm not sure if all of my baskets will be yellow, but as soon as I have time to sit down I will work on the next block.

I have to go now because I have my high school reunion tonight. Boy, do I not want to go. I'm only going because my friend talked me in to going with her. We are leaving our husbands at home so that we do not have to worry about them being bored.

Wish me luck,
Laurie