spring is in bloom

Spring

Ahhh the beauty of spring, as the trees bud and the flowers awaken from their sleep and pop their pretty little heads to take a look around.  The Azalea bushes are in full glory with their shade of pinks, white and salmon.. 

BUT as it always happens, I wait all winter long just to watch this amazing site of our neighborhood erupting in wonderful color. As the bushes open to the sun and give viewers a site to behold, it happens.  It never fails, it always happens and it makes me sad...

What you ask is the thing that would ruin my day, RAIN.  Yes, the rains always come and take away the glory of the azaleas. I have yet to have my bushes in bloom for a full week, the most I get to enjoy them is a day or two, then the rains come and pound the pretty little azaleas till they droop and their blossoms fall to the ground.

 Last weekend we were out and about and azaleas were in bloom all over the area, so many wonderful colors and so many bushes in all shapes and sizes. Some manicured so nice, some cubed, some rounded and some in their natural shapes.  Then it rained, at first just a little and the azaleas looked like they had freckles, but then it rained and rained and rained some more and my beautiful azaleas are a thing of beauty no more.

So while they stretch their branches to the sun and grow this year, I will again await their beautiful show in the spring, even if it is only for a day or two.

Voting is now OPEN

IT's that time, Time to cast your vote for your favorite designers, instructors, authors, teachers, shops and products that make your quilting special to you.

I stopped by SewCalGal's Site today and I had totally forgotten that voting would be starting. I voted and decided to share the information with all my quilting friends that now is the time to let your voice be heard and cast your vote for your favorites, plus just for casting your vote you might win a prize. 

To vote follow this link SewCalGal Golden Quilter Awards. there you will see a list of the nominees, there is a link at the end of the page for the voting, done survey style this year which was so much easier.  So what are you waiting for GO VOTE.

It's that time again, time for SewCalGal annual Golden Quilt Awards.. My nominations are now in and voting will start March 12.  If you are a quilter or if you just appreciate quilts and the people who make them, stop by SewCalGal's web site and let your voice be heard, VOTE for your favorites... here are the categories:

1. Best Quilt Designer
2. Best Quilt Teacher/Instructor
3. Best Quilt book Author
4. Best Quilt Store (physical)
5. Best Quilt Store (online)
6. Best Longarm Quilter
7. Most Innovative Product (physical)
8. Most Innovative Product (software)
9. Most influential person in the world of quilting to-date, aka "Lifetime Achievement"
10. Best Quilt book publisher

And by voting you can win prizes too. If you want to nominate your favorites you have until March 4th..   to nominate follow this link http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/2012/02/2012-golden-quilter-awards-open-for.html

been a little under the weather lately

Bet you all wondered where I was these past two weeks..  We both ended up catching a cold two weeks ago and it just took it toll on us. So not much got done around the old homestead.. Haven't even been on the computer that much so my blog suffered.  But I am feeling so much better and I have been working on a few things that I thought you might like to see.

while I was sick I did do a little stitching, I didn't feel up to doing anything else, so two bird squares for the new monochrome bird quilt for WOCS

I also worked on the Lavender and Lace Enchanted Alphabet and the house Alphabet but no photos to show yet. I was just sitting and stitching.

Yesterday I felt well enough to add the borders to the bird squares that WOCS members have been sending in, I think they are so pretty.

 This is the St Patrick's Day Wall Hanging I made last month.  I had seen a photo of a  kit but couldn't find the kit anywhere, so I made my own pattern, I used my Accuquilt hearts die for the shamrocks and freehand cut the stems, appliqued on a light yellow scrap of fabric, added the borders and now I have a new Wall Hanging.

And before I go a photo of the latest addition to our family.. This is the runt of the litter, she weighed 2 ozs at birth and even though she is steadily gaining she still only weighs 8 ozs.. needless to say her litter mates are more then twice her size, but she holds her own in the puppy battles and she is first in line at chow time.  We have decided that she needs to stay with us and since Jenny renamed the puppy we were calling Tinkerbell that she got from us last month this little girl is now named Tinkerbell. She will be 5 weeks old in two days, she is the smallest dog I have owned or even seen..

Happy Valentine's Day

I finished this wall hanging last week, Just in time for Valentine's Day

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

More Quilts are ready to go

I have been working on these quilts for awhile now, Holidays just kept getting in my way, but today I finished three quilts, they will soon be on their way to the nursing home.

The Birds and Crosses Quilt was requested for a lady at the nursing home, WOCS members stitched the squares and I assembled the top and quilted it.

The Fishing Quilt was stitched by WOCS members and Dona assembled the top, I quilted and finished it.

The Butterfly Quilt was my vision, I saw a pattern for a butterfly and thought how lovely to stitch that pattern in all different colors, Well, we didn't get permission for that pattern but another designer stepped up and designed a butterfly for our quilt, members stitched the butterfly in their choice of colors and picked out the fabric for the frame of their butterfly, I assembled and quilted.  This quilt went over so well, we found a bird pattern and will be stitching birds in colors like the butterflies.

dolly finish

Just a quick post with the latest finish... Another of my Dolly Mamas, this is one that my husband bought for me, so of the three he bought (quilting, cross stitching and crafting Mamas) I have two done and the cross stitching one to do. He said he will have the three framed for my sewing/crafting room.

isn't she just to cute.  LOL

I go from my 18 ct name welcome house, enchanted alphabet sampler, Celtic lady to my Dolly Mamas because they are stitched on 14 ct which gives my eyes a break from those other projects.  I also will take on some CCS pieces for my charity group like the hearts we just finished making as they are quick patterns on 14 ct.

I am just about finished with 4 charity quilts, they are quilted and now I need to bind them and they will be ready for delivery to the seniors.  When they are done I will finally be caught up, that is until the next set of CCS squares come in from my group. 

I also have the quilts I designed for my grand kids to work on, Mo asked about his the last time he was here so I guess I will have to get busy on those real soon. I have all the items I need for them I just need to get to work.

I did come up with a interesting fact the other day, as I entered a charity quilt into my quilt journal I realized that quilt was number 50.  This is so hard to imagine that I made 50 quilts for my charity group, and that number is not counting the ones that I made for family or the quilted wall hangings I made. I know my Mom would be so proud and probably amazed that I made that many. I also have the last quilt she worked on ready to go on the machine, I have put finishing this one for to long and now is the time to finish what would be our second quilt we made together, when done it will go to my son.