Design Wall Monday

Last week I started playing with a disappearing four-patch block. I spent the weekend playing with the quilt design in EQ7. I had a need to connect the blocks so I added a second block...looks the same but different colors.

Got one of the new blocks constructed on the third try.

What Happen's If I Push This Button?

I bought a new camera today...boy am I struggling...I might have to read the instruction manual. What's up with that?

Thursday was my monthly Breakfast Club date. This month we explored the block "Disappearing Four-Patch." You start out with a four-patch then you cut it apart and then rearrange and sew it back together. I brought batiks to play with...typical. Here they are set on diagonal.

How about aligning darks and lights?...

Here's the version of our leader created. She did two colors with a background color.

I might go this route for the layout...going to think about it for awhile.

An Eye Toward the Sky

I have to share some wonderful photos taken by my good friend, Cheri. She's working on her photography skills and she's allowed me to share some of her photos. Today I want to share some Bald Eagle shots. 

These were all taken on travels along the Kenai Peninsula last weekend. 

It's that time of year when the adolescent eagles have to make that transition to adulthood.

 On the left is the teenager...he hasn't gotten his pretty white head yet. 

Looks like there is a sister! Look at that wingspan. 

They are incredible birds. I'm fortunate to see one almost daily.

 Click on this photo...the eagle has his head tilted like he is checking out something good.

"Majestic" describes them perfectly. 

A Better View

I couldn't resist sharing one more picture of the moose from yesterday morning...the sun was hitting him as I got ready to leave the house.

Design Wall Monday

It's been a long time since I've posted on DWM...but I've been watching what everyone else has been working on the past few weeks...it's the next best thing to posting myself. 

I have finally gotten the first two borders on this quilt completed. Lots of seam ripper action on this quilt. I hope to get the final border on by Thursday. This quilt was started January of 2011. 

I took this photo with my new IPhone 4s that I barely know how to use. Seems there is a software problem downloading photos to Windows for editing...grrrr. I finally got it to work by emailing myself the photo but it doesn't work every time. The digital camera I keep in the sewing studio has taken its last photo which isn't all bad...I really didn't like the photos that camera took...I always had to play with the colors and exposure.

Here's what I saw this morning while making my coffee.

Moose are hard to see, they blend in so beautifully. But this one is kind of hard to miss...huge! Yep...we are still working on melting all the snow.

Senior Prom

Last night was Senior Prom for my son Zack and his girlfriend Lindsey.

And I just have to share with you that Lindsey is a talented designer. She designed her dress and made it! Here's a view of the back.

The prom theme was "Silver Screen." I think they looked just like they walked off a movie set from the '40s. I should have gotten a picture of her $15 dollar fur stole wrap she found at Salvation Army that matched perfectly. Maybe she'll model it for me again!

'Tis the Season

I have finished a little cross stitch Santa ornament, "French Horn Santa," a kit from Mill Hill. 

This completes a set released in 2002, Musical Santas.

I have two more sets to tackle.

2006 Medieval Santas.

2010, Seafaring Santas.

And of course there is a new set for 2012 that will be released soon! 

What's on My Bed

I'm in search of a blog topic. There was a "what's on my bed" quilt link up over a week ago in the  blogosphere...and since a professional photographer was at my house for the marketing brochure...it's an opportunity to share a quilt I made a few years ago.

There are actually two quilts on my bed, but the bottom one is just providing more length and the border works!

Here's the amateur photo. This quilt is a strip quilt pattern from the book, "More Strip Clubbing." (A Cozy Quilt Design.) I made matching shams for square Euro pillows...good for square block designs!

I used batiks from my stash. It is one of my favorite quilts. As I recall the pattern was quick and easy plus there are a couple of other strip quilt patterns in this book I would love to make one day. 

Additional posting: I decided to show the quilt that is underneath...why not?

What can I say...another batik beauty! This is my version of a Kim Brackett design, Bali Sea Stars. I haven't gotten the shams made for this one yet. This star block is my absolute favorite block design. It's from Kim's first book, "Scrap-Basket Surprises." I hear she has new book due to release in May working with charm squares. I'm sure it will be wonderful.

It Only Took a Couple of Weeks

This is what my sewing studio usually looks like...and it's great because I usually get sew much done. 

But someone else might not see the gem this room really is so...just for purposes of reselling our home...

From the doorway...yes...see all that snow that is still outside my window? We broke the record for most snowfall in a season. 

I had to put a little something on the design wall...last time I had it empty someone thought it was a curtained doorway...nope...there is a real wall behind that curtain.

And the wall with all the action right now...the computer is what I spend most of my time operating when I'm in the studio...I sure hope someone else will be as happy and productive as I was in this room!

Nutcracker Stocking

Here's the finished top of a Bucilla stocking kit.

This was a fairly easy kit...not much embroidery. Cute!

A Finish!

It's been awhile since I've actually finished anything! Today I got the final outer border sewn on my Purple Mountains Majesty.

This is basically Carrie Nelson's design, Oso, from her book, "Another Bite of Schnibbles." My borders are different. I just had all sorts of problems with these simple borders because I didn't double check my numbers. Oh well...I got through it. It will be very fun to quilt all those open areas...someday! It's a huge quilt, 85" x 102".

Pay No Attention to What's Behind the Quilt

Still no time to sew...

Working on getting the current house ready to shoot a video for the internet. Good thing no one can look underneath the quilt...

A quick peek shows the stash of what I'm reducing. Yep...even more fabrics to sell. It feels wonderful to find new homes for all these great fabrics that I know will only collect dust in my new home. I even threw out three UFOs...I didn't even list them on my blog so there was no heart ache..just relief to have them off the counter. 

Still Working Here

Still sorting my stash for the big sale tomorrow.

Hoping to get this pile ready by the morning. I still have lots I would like to send to a new home but it's getting a little overwhelming! It feels great though because these are mostly fabrics I've had for over 10 years....really! I hope someone else will get them put into beautiful quilts.

I haven't had time to work at the new house but progress has been made without me.

The great room fireplace got the wood trim.

The dining room side of the fireplace got the slate tile added...some of the tiles have fossil ferns...so fun!

The wood flooring is going in now...I think it looks even better than I imagined. See those lights underneath the stairs? That's the stairway to heaven...the sewing studio is in the daylight basement.

I'm Working Here

Still not much sewing. But I have spent some time in the sewing room sorting...and marking...it's time to find a new home for many of my things. My Breakfast Club ladies are planning a communal quilting garage sale this week...I sure hope I don't buy anything...cuz I gotta move this stuff!

I really purged my book and pattern collection. I'm just getting started on sorting the fabric. My tastes have changed so much in just the last five years! I rarely work with anything but batiks. I have a few UFOs that I would like to finish that are not batiks so I am hanging on to a good deal of printed cottons...but I'm not going to hang onto them another 10 years!