Describe Happy

Grounddog Day {Zoomies in the Snow}

2012-02-02T08:19:00.000-05:00

In honor of Groundhog day and Punksatony Phil's prediction of six more weeks of winter... I thought another video of the pups in the snow was in order -- let's call it GroundDOG day!!

Useless trivia... did you know that Phil (the groundhog) full name is actually "Punxsutawney Phil, Seer of Seers, Sage of Sages, Prognosticator of Prognosticators and Weather Prophet Extraordinaire?" Ya, say that five times fast!

Anyway, nothing quite like watching the dogs do zoomies in the snow. Sammy is the lead runner and Katie loves to chase. (and I do talk a bit in this one... in case you want to turn your volume down)

And if you are following my sewing adventures.. then can I get a whhhohohooooo! that I finished piecing the Wish Upon a Star quilt top last night!! Y seams, and math, and lots and lots of sewing.... but it looks fantastic! Tonight, I baste and begin quilting. Yes. I'm still trying to have this one finished for Saturday. It's going to be close!!

Wednesday WIP {A Lot of Secrecy}

2012-02-01T08:37:00.002-05:00

I feel like I have a lot of secrets going on right now... can't wait to show it all to you!

--IN PROGRESS--

Forms of a Dress -- due 14 February

This is my first guild challenge! I am finding myself sketching and re-sketching, and I have my final design ready. Next step is to begin layering fabric! Starting this one on Sunday!

Spinning Starlets {English Paper Piecing} -- a.k.a. I've reached a new level of crazy!

Following along with the Block Party at Selfsewn; creating Rose Stars. I finished my second one and you can also see my post about my overall experience with English Paper Piecing!

Private Swap with Megan from Silver Threads of Happiness

I am starting the second part of the surprise. Closer to shipping my box!

Name Game Swap -- due by 15 March

We are swapping a mini quilt that uses the name of our swap partner in the quilt. Cool, no? I have gotten my partner's information, snooped around for ideas and inspirations, pulled a bunch of fabrics, adjusted my stack, finished my sketch and I am ready to begin putting fabric to batting. My only hint will be that it's going to start with some ticker tape quilting!

Wish Upon A Star -- star quilt-a-long by Melissa at Happy Quilting and Sparkle Punch quilt-a-long by Oh, Frannson!

Great progress on this over the the last week... and you may notice that I added a new type of star. I kept seeing the Sparkle Punch quilt-a-long by Elizabeth at Oh, Frannson and couldn't resist. Besides mixing star types got my mojo going and helped me figure out what I want to do.

I am working at a frantic pace to finish by Saturday and will reserve further photos (to keep this a surprise) until it's done! And did you know that this is the first time I've done anything (purposely) wonky... what fun!!

--ON PAUSE--

Laughing Leaves with Frieda Anderson

More of the project can be seen here. Can't wait to roll up my sleeves and dig back in! You can also check out what I learned about using fusible in an art quilt!

{Your're My Sunshine}: Bottled Rainbows {ticker tape quilt-along}

Still no deadline for this one. The way things are going, maybe I pick this up once my show pieces are done?

This Week's Work in Progress (WiP) Stats:

Last WiP Wednesday Total: 7
New Projects: 0 (might add one next week)

Finished Projects: 0
Total WiP's: 7

And a dose of Katie and Sammy antics --a typical scene straight from my sewing room....

If I were to narrate it would go something like this...

Sammy, "Trying to catch my tail... gotta get that tail"

Katie, "Hahaha, wouldn't it be funny if I stuck my nose in the shot. I'm so funny"

Sammy, "Hey... get your nose outta my shot. This is a video about meeeee!"

My Experience with English Paper Piecing

2012-01-31T16:15:00.002-05:00

I'm ready to dish on my my English Paper Piecing experience to date and will either push you over the edge into trying it or send you running for the hills.

Please note, this isn't a tutorial. There are lots of good tuts already written. My favorites are by Selfsewn and Sunshine's Creations; they're great to get you going! Or feel free to leave your own favorite tutorial in the comments. What I'd really like to do is de-mystify this technique and let you in that it's not as terrifying as it sounds.

Paper piecing breaks down into about five steps:

1. Cutting out your paper template

I originally thought, oh ya right, like I'm going to take the time to cut out paper and then fabric. I mean that's twice the work, right? But seriously... cutting out the paper is so darn fast and really reminded me how much I enjoy other crafty stuff.

My Tips: remember to use paper scissors on the paper... not your good fabric scissors and I used a zipper top plastic baggy to catch my cutout pieces as I'm cutting to keep them safe.

2. Auditioning and cutting out fabrics for each template piece.

You cut your fabric with an extra 1/4 seam beyond the paper template. Did I mention you can use scraps? It so cool to think that you can make something so pretty from so little fabric with this particular pattern. Really makes me feel like I am giving those little scraps an amazing home!!

*Confession... I iron as little as possible with any of my quilting projects, so for my first starlet I skipped ironing the fabric scraps and went straight to cutting, but... don't do that.

My Tips: it's so much easier to cut and baste the pieces if the fabric is ironed first! Lesson learned... the hard way!

3. Basting your fabric to the templates

My original thought was that this step was felt like sewing the fabric twice, but after some practice this goes so fast! And I understand now that this is really just to help the pieces keep their shape before you start to join them.

So fun to see a rowdy stack of fabric bits transform into a groomed stack of shapes waiting for assembly! This is when I can really begin to visualize how great it's going to be.

4. Sewing your pieces together

I know.. hand sewing? Feels so 1900's. But, I had an unexpected connection to the history behind all this and it's thrilling to know that this is how quilting was done back then.

Very deep! And it made me think about all the time that went into this craft.

5. Admiring the precision of your joints and your completed work! And repeat.

Reasons Paper Piecing is So Cool!

It's a great way to use scraps!
It's portable -- and here is a look at the kit I carry with me. That is a leather-like envelope type pouch, with little scissors, a needle and piece of batting to hold it, and I use bobbins to carry a bit of my basting and sewing thread. Easy to throw it in whatever bag I am carrying.

It gets a lot more natural and quick with a little practice. By the time I was through my first starlet I had stopped poking myself with the needle and my speed is way more than triple
The accuracy of the seams and joint is really stunning to behold
Finger pressing the folds (using the heat of your fingers as an iron) while basting is one of my favorite parts

And there you have it. So, by now you've guessed that I like it enough to do two of them and I have my eyes set out on a third. How many am I going to make? No clue yet. Might go for a table runner... may go for a wall hanging. I'll let the pieces tell me when they are done.

Now, go to the Rose Star Block Party Flickr group and get yourself started!!

I'm going to share this with Quilt Story at Fabric Tuesday, From the Blue Chair for Slash the Stash, and other weekly parties on my sidebar too!

A Weekend Ramble

2012-01-30T12:30:00.000-05:00

Oh Monday... I sat down to share a few words with you and have ended up writing tomrrow and Wednesday's stories. Sigh. But what to do about today's blank canvas? Perhaps a little ramble about the weekend?

Our weekend followed a slow, quiet, easy pace that seemed to be so needed.

There was lots of sunlight pouring through the windows and I admit that I have a hard time resisting my sewing area while there are streams of light to soak in!

The ground froze again, leaving lots of doggy evidence captured in frozen mud to be checked out. Both Sammy and Katie took turns sniffing their own prints as I snapped a few pictures.

That's Sammy's nose, ear, and paw sneaking in this snap.

Here's the print without a nosey dog in the shot. Have I told you I'm a sucker for tracks? They are a great reminder of how we are all connected through the same shared spaces.

This particular track is from Katie. Shown here with her serious face.

I laughed a million and one times due to the antics of one nine month old white puppy. She's fearless, always learning, and getting so big these days!

And thankfully, she is still thinking of herself as a lap dog. I'm not sure if I will find that cute as she grows beyond 60lbs, but I do relish the fact that she wants to snuggle in my arms!!

And this sums up the rest. When we weren't outside in the sun, hiking or sewing, we were resting.

Hope you feel refreshed and sparky as we head into a new week!!

10 Snaps from a Lazy Blogger

2012-01-28T10:37:00.000-05:00

I could say I've been really busy the' last few days or I could say I've just been plain 'ole lazy. Both are true.

And as I'm sitting at my desk with the sun shining in all I want to do is turn on a movie and rev my sewing machine into action. So, here are quick ten snaps from the last few days!!

Wishing you a wonderful weekend!!

Wednesday WIP {Seeing Stars}

2012-01-25T08:31:00.001-05:00

Managed quite a bit of sewing time this week and it feels good to get back in the groove!!

--IN PROGRESS--

Forms of a Dress -- due 14 February

This is my first guild challenge! I am finding myself sketching and re-sketching, but can feel myself getting closer to the One!

Spinning Starlets {English Paper Piecing} -- a.k.a. I've reached a new level of crazy!

Following along with the Block Party at Selfsewn; creating Rose Stars. And.... drum roll please.... I finished my first one!! Whohohoooo!!!
On the ironing board waiting for a nice press (and in terrible yellow closet light)

Pressed and happy! I need to grab a better daylight picture, but really liking how it came out!

Private Swap with Megan from Silver Threads of Happiness

I have mostly finished up the pincushion I made for Megan and getting to work on her surprise surprise. Yup, I'm having a fun time with this one.

Name Game Swap -- due by 15 March

We are swapping a mini quilt that uses the name of our swap partner in the quilt. Cool, no? I have gotten my partner's information and am starting to snoop around for ideas and inspirations. I did pull a bunch of fabrics, but want to make sure they are her style/colors -- this is going to be out my normal style and should be interesting!

Star Struck or Map to the Stars -- star quilt-a-long by Melissa at Happy Quilting.

I am up to eight stars -- you can see more here!! Feeling good about it. Now, I just need to figure out how I want to lay out the design. I was originally going to just lay them out next to each other, but it feels heavy and unbalanced. Still trying to figure out what to do next.

A bunch of new stars.

All the stars together. You know. Looking at this picture again (and sorry for the low light) I'm thinking it's the blue check and bold bottom right star fabrics that are throwing the design off. The softer colors are melting in to the brown instead of fighting it. Hmmm....

~~Naughty Notions Challenge~~ -- I've decided not to enter in this round due to everything else going on.

--ON PAUSE--

Laughing Leaves with Frieda Anderson

More of the project can be seen here. Can't wait to roll up my sleeves and dig back in! You can also check out what I learned about using fusible in an art quilt!

{Your're My Sunshine}: Bottled Rainbows {ticker tape quilt-along}

Still no deadline for this one. The way things are going, maybe I pick this up once my show pieces are done?

This Week's Work in Progress (WiP) Stats:

Last WiP Wednesday Total: 8
New Projects: 0

Finished Projects: 1 (backed out on Naughty Notions challenge)
Total WiP's: 7

And a dose of Katie (left) and Sammy (right) playing in the snow we got over the weekend!

Organized My Fabric Scraps

2012-01-23T21:15:00.002-05:00

Like the title implies... I have finally taken back control of my sewing room (mostly, just don't look at my desk right now) and organized my tiny fabric scraps... by color. Squeee!!

Just lovely.

A guaranteed smile every time I walk in the room and I just can't wait for every excuse to pull down a jar and start digging though it!!

Pink and Red in Jar #1
Orange and Yellow in Jar #2
All shades of Green in Jar #3

Jar #3 again
Blues in Jar #4
Purple and Mixed Colors in Jar #5

And my Neutrals... white, beige, browns in this awesome mushroom!

How do you organize your teeny tiny fabric scraps? --also sharing at Fabric Tuesday with Quilt Story!

Name Game Swap Inspirations

2012-01-23T10:56:00.001-05:00

I have pulled together my inspiration collage for the Name Game Swap!! So much fun to go through my pins and favorites to gather up what makes me smile in my Describe Happy blog journey!

Hi Secret Swap Partner (if you're reading this), hope you are well!!

I hope this inspiration board helps you narrow down your ideas. But really, the sky is the limit. Think happy and upbeat, let your smile be your guide, and overall I hope you enjoy creating your piece; I am so looking forward to treasuring it!

Ok, here is the inside scoop... I find myself drawn to bright happy colors, nature undertones, silliness, scrappiness, positiveness, and irregular shapes. I also have a love for buttons, raw natural edges, mushrooms, the forest and forest critters. And if you found a way to work in my pups... well, that would rock my socks off!!

Grinning from the excitement,

Christie

1. Tree of Life from Film and Thread

2. Scrappy Rock and Roll from LuGal1

3. Dalahorse Screen Print from Henning Trollback

4. Abstract Felt Mobile from Lupin

5. Jones Patchwork Quilt from Urban Outfitters

6. Collected Fabric Orange Quilt from Homerof2

7. Confetti with hand quilting from Rangoli45

8. Life a Colorful Life from Cindy at Aroundtheblockdesigns

9. Pure Square City from Kelbysews

FNSI with the Stars

2012-01-21T09:33:00.001-05:00

Hope you had a great Friday Night Sew-In (FNSI)! I decided to work on my stars quilt. (Star Struck or Map to the Stars -- star quilt-a-long by Melissa at Happy Quilting.)

I started my night by gathering up my assistants. Katie clearly knew something exciting was about to happen in the sewing room.

Sammy wasn't far behind in snooping.

I spent most of the time making flying geese for the five stars that I am working on with Block 1 instructions (picture from this morning).

I managed to complete two stars!! This first one with the blue and yellow might go down as a practice block. Between the color combo not really working and the points not being very good... I guess I was just rusty and needed a block to work out all my kinks on.

This one however was much better and pretty cute if you ask me!

The stars are made from vintage sheets and the background is a cocoa colored flannel. I wish you could reach through the screen and feel how amazingly soft this quilt is going to be!

Here are all three of my blocks so far.

FNSI was just what I needed to get my sewing mojo back... and with this being the view from my sewing room today I think I might just keep sewing.

This is the next star up for sewing. I'm on a roll!!

Hope you are off to an amazing start to the weekend and yes of course my assistants are with me again this morning. They can be so cute when they aren't fighting or barking.

Happy Moment #46: Blue Pancakes

2012-01-20T18:42:00.001-05:00

A Friday ritual with Soulemama. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary, happy moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments too.

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”

~Omar Khayyam

Wednesday WIP {Three New Things!!}

2012-01-18T11:20:00.004-05:00

I can feel the pace of the year starting to pick up as swaps are beginning and I am getting back into my rhythm to enter an art show in March and my guild quilt show in May.

--NEW--

Spinning Starlets {English Paper Piecing} -- a.k.a. I've reached a new level of crazy!

A new blog friend of mine Kris from Duke Says Sew What has turned me on to the idea of English paper piecing. Sounds so formal, right? Well, you might remember that I had paper piecing on my list for 2012, so when I looked over the Block Party at Selfsewn and saw how cute the Rose Star was... I caved.

So far, I've cut out the template from paper, cut my fabric scraps, based most of the pieces, and begun hand sewing them together. I think I may do a seperate post on my experiences with this process so far.

Private Swap with Megan from Silver Threads of Happiness

Adding this here so I don't forget. I have so many ideas to surprise Megan and I'm tickled that we have the same silly forest, mushroom, elephant, and button likes! And have you see her Pink Granny Blanket? It's totally sweet! Makes me want to get started on a crochet blanket.

Name Game Swap -- due by 15 March

We are swapping a mini quilt that uses the name of our swap partner in the quilt. Cool, no? I haven't gotten my partner information yet, but am going to pull together an inspiration mosaic to help my partner stalk me!

--IN PROGRESS--

Star Struck or Map to the Stars -- star quilt-a-long by Melissa at Happy Quilting.

I made zero progress on this last week. Bad, bad, me. I really need to just sit down and whip up a bunch of stars. I'm feeling more inspired to sew after last night's guild meeting!

Naughty Notions Challenge -- make a clutch using lots and lots of notions by the end of the month

(you can still join if you like)

I have a pretty good idea what I want to do now... just need to make the basic clutch and start embellishing!

--ON PAUSE--

Laughing Leaves with Frieda Anderson

More of the project can be seen here. Can't wait to roll up my sleeves and dig back in! You can also check out what I learned about using fusible in an art quilt!

{Your're My Sunshine}: Bottled Rainbows {ticker tape quilt-along}

Still no deadline for this one. The way things are going, maybe I pick this up once my show pieces are done?

This Week's Work in Progress (WiP) Stats:

Last WiP Wednesday Total: 5
New Projects: 3

Finished Projects: 0
Total WiP's: 8 (creeping up as we get closer to quilt show time!)

And, how about a picture of Sammy and Katie? That was a lot of rambling and not a lot of pictures.

Forms of a Dress -- due 14 February

This is my first guild challenge! I have completed my sketch and am ready to pull fabrics to get going.

Creative Tuesday: Bubblegum (#50)

2012-01-17T12:54:00.001-05:00

It's Creative Tuesday; and I'm at it again... playing with silly doggie ideas!

Wondering what a Creative Tuesday is? Every two weeks we grab our pads and something to color with to create for the theme over at Mr. Toast's Creative Tuesday's assignment -- neat, no?

This week's theme is Bubblegum. And I know I have Valentine's day on the brain with this one... and I know that dogs don't chew bubblegum, but the way the two pups have grown closer and closer over the last few months ... I am sure they would most likely give this joining hearts a try if they could.

And honestly, I can't help but feeling like this is screaming out for words, but for the last two weeks... any 'right' words have escaped me.

Maybe the inside of the card could read... "Your love blows me away!" I know, I know... I should probably keep my day job.

Simple, silly, fun to doodle and then color in and play with in GIMP!

I hope you consider joining in this or the next assignment (really hope you do) and please take a look other artists in the community here.

Happy Moment #45: Painting the Sky

2012-01-13T13:49:00.003-05:00

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”

~Omar Khayyam

10 Truths About Puppies {Part II}

2012-01-12T20:55:00.004-05:00

So, as you may remember I have a puppy. Her name is Sammy and at nearly nine months old she is the apple of my eye as they say. But let's get real as I share ten more truths about puppies.

{Find Part I here}

10. Puppies follow you to the ~~ladies room~~ everywhere. And constantly demand to sit on your lap even if it's only for a second.

9. Puppies sneak nibbles of food straight from the counter or table.

8. Puppies can melt you in an instant with those fluttery eyes (and cute brown nose).

7. Every single thing is new/fun/or has to be learned for a puppy -- like falling off the bed or playing with ice on the lake.

6. Puppies think fabric scraps are a tasty snack.

5. Puppies never think they are tired, only their eyes don't always seem to stay open like they want.

4. Puppies get a tad grumpy when they are tired.

3. Did I mention they try to eat everything?

2. Puppies sleep in odd positions.

1. And today's number one truth is...

...don't overlook your puppies most adorable and soft little feet... and yes, they smell like Doritos.

"Whoever said you can't buy happiness forgot little puppies."

-- Gene Hill

Wednesday WIP {More Planning Than Sewing}

2012-01-11T11:17:00.002-05:00

As I admitted yesterday, there hasn't been a ton of sewing on this end, but as I was thinking about it more, I think that is also because I am in the planning stage with a lot of my new projects. Let's take a look.

--NEW-

Forms of a Dress - a guild challenge

I don't have anything to show, but I have started sketching what this small art quilt will look like and I think I even have my thoughts narrowed down to two ideas. And of course I am extra nervous because this is my first guild challenge!

--IN PROGRESS--

Star Struck or Map to the Stars -- star quilt-a-long by Melissa at Happy Quilting.

I have a bunch more stars pieces cut out and ready for sewing.

Naughty Notions Challenge - make a clutch using lots and lots of notions (you can still join if you like)

I started this by pulling out a bunch of notions that were easy to get my hands ... goodness knows I have a bunch more .. as I wanted to let the notions be my inspiration, since I still wasn't sure what I wanted to do.

So far I have pulled out a pile of colorful zippers, snaps, beads, lace, floss, and some green and turquoise fabrics, and and buttons (not pictured).

I'm leaning (at the moment) toward using the hexigon print on the outside.

The more I am stewing on this project the more I would like to be sure I use these specific brown and turquoise beads.

And I'm sure I will find myself also reaching into this bag for a few of my treasured favorites (that are so overdue of being used in something).

You're still asking what I'm making aren't you? Well... so far I am thinking a rounded bottom clutch and the rest will have to be a surprise for next week.

--ON PAUSE--

Laughing Leaves with Frieda Anderson

More the project can be seen here. Can't wait to roll up my sleeves and dig back in! You can also check out what I learned about using fusible in an art quilt!

{Your're My Sunshine}: Bottled Rainbows {ticker tape quilt-along}

Still no deadline for this one, but I am sure it will be an awesome winter project and just the right thing to pick up after all the crazy holiday sewing!

This Week's Work in Progress (WiP) Stats:

Last WiP Wednesday Total: 4
New Projects: 1 (started Forms of a Dress)

Finished Projects: 0
Total WiP's: 5

Giants Football {ALL IN}

2012-01-10T10:49:00.001-05:00

I have a confession to make. I didn't really do a lick of sewing this weekend. Why you are asking? Well, football stole my heart (and attention) this weekend as the playoffs began and our team was front and center... the NY Giants.

And, the icing on the cake? We went to the game!! happy dance

The new stadium front.

Whoohohooo for the first playoff game in the stadium!

A little taste of just how loud, electric, amazing, insane, and crazy fun it is to be in person! (and yes that's me that you can hear whooping and screaming)

Here comes BIG BLUE!!!

WAVE YOUR TOWELS!!!

The addition of a big American flag during the national anthem was really touching!

And the game got underway!

A bit later as the Giants were coming in to score.

Yes, sirree.... the first touchdown on the board!

Much celebrating, yelling, and high fives ensued!

At some point during the game I tucked my camera away and really focused on the game and being there, but wowie what an experience!! And... yes, the Giants won!! Awesome right?

Any Packers fans out there? Well, I'm sorry to say, but we are coming for you next. It's promising to be a great match up -- can't wait!!

And, did you see those towels in the video -- they gave us those for free -- shortly, I will show you what I have done with them to remember the game!

Thank You {I Was Featured}

2012-01-09T10:01:00.000-05:00

What a great first week of the year... who needs to end a year with a bang, when instead it seems you can also start the year with big BANGS! I've always been told I'm loud. Ha!

I want to say a great big huge thank you for the features I was surprised with this week.

Have you been to Homework before? I honest to goodness can't leave that blog without wanting to make about a zillion and five things. Well, I was so very excited to hear that Carolyn got a sewing machine for Christmas.... bet the results will be amazing! Oh, and she has featured my Sisters Are A Plus Quilt -- sawweeeet!

And that's not all... I have also been featured over at Fabulous Friday Linky party hosted by Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust. Well, I guess I should confess that really Sammy stole the show with this one. Michelle also featured my Sisters Are A Plus Quilt, but chose a shot with Sammy performing her inspection duties.

Edit to add: Sisters Are A Plus Quilt can now also be seen on Eat, Grow, Sew where Kelly hosts a really fun month long party for all things Cooking, Growing, and Sewing. And if you haven't seen Kelly's scrap busting Shrinking Squares tut... it's a must check out!

Thanks so much gals --from the bottom of my heart <3-- for helping me start up the year with a BANG!

And as a special bonus here's a little puppy running and romping to start our week off right!

Happy Moment #44: Curled Up for a Nap

2012-01-06T10:47:00.001-05:00

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”

~Omar Khayyam

Three Sources of Happiness {005}

2012-01-05T20:49:00.000-05:00

1. Tea tag wisdom with a wonderful reminder to nurture my spirit!

2. Two goofy dogs who are interested in every single thing I do.

And with silly grins to share. (Sammy the 8 month old pup on the left and Katie our almost 5 year old on the right)

2. I succeeded at making twice baked potatoes with cheddar and bacon. They were even amazing as 'left overs' for lunch.

Now go ahead, why don't you look around and find your own surprising and maybe not so surprising sources of happiness today!

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And if you haven't seen these yet... check out these great ways to savor and be inspired by the happiness around you:

Wednesday WIP {A Fresh Start}

2012-01-04T09:49:00.001-05:00

It's been awhile since I organized my thoughts around sewing. Here's to a fresh start and lots of sewing success in the new year!

--IN PROGRESS--

Star Struck -- star quilt-a-long by Melissa at Happy Quilting.

I am still standing at one block, but making progress on cutting out additional stars. Still undecided about how big this one will be, but have about 2 1/2 weeks to finish it up. I am working with vintage sheets and mocha flannel for this one... so soft!!

I am still in the sketching/planning phase, but will have more shortly!

You can still join the challenge if you like... details are here at Sew La Vie.

It's a challenge to make a clutch using lots and lots of notions. Called "Naughty Notions," because they pile up and hiding in every nook and cranny of my sewing room.

--ON PAUSE--

Laughing Leaves with Frieda Anderson

More the project can be seen here.

Can't wait to roll up my sleeves and dig back in! You can also check out what I learned about using fusible in an art quilt!

{Your're My Sunshine}: Bottled Rainbows {ticker tape quilt-along}

Still no deadline for this one, but I am sure it will be an awesome winter project and just the right thing to pick up after all the crazy holiday sewing!

This Week's Work in Progress (WiP) Stats:

Last WiP Wednesday Total: 7
New Projects: 1

Finished Projects: 5 (Shadow and Timber, Sister's Are A Plus, Mom's Birds -- I'll show you next week), Dragon Tote, NY-NY)
Total WiP's: 4

--SEWING FOR 2012--

For now this is just a dumping ground of all the sewing ideas I have for myself in the new year.

At some point I will need to decide what will come when, but for now I am happy with an open brainstorm of creativity! Also linking up with Creative Collections as I think about my creative resolutions for 2012.

I am {semi}committed to:

Red and White Lonestar; guild challenge

Forms of a Dress; guild challenge

Name Game Swap

For April/May Quilt Show:

Sunrise Confetti Quilt

Colorful Pots

Sooner Rather Than Later:

Good Fortune scrap design - strings maybe?

Christmas Stockings x4

Christmas Tree Skirt

FMQ Sampler - monthly

No Deadline:

Host a confetti quilt along

Something paper pieced

Rag quilt

Puff pattern quilt

Charity Quilt x2

Yarn and Clothes:

Crewel birds and bees x2

Crochet ripple blanket

Sewing clothes - skirts, dress, tops, pants

First Walk of the New Year

2012-01-03T10:21:00.001-05:00

I have been happy to let the first few days of the new year slowly unwind. For me, unwinding mostly happens outside, with the dogs, in the woods. Sunshine is an extra bonus!

So sit back, pour a cup of tea, take a deep breath, and come on our first walk of 2012!
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We're still donning blaze orange to assure we are taken for dogs and people and not deer or coyotes.

Nothing but the open road in front of us.

Silhouettes of trees and the sparkle of the lake.

Noisy brooks and streams for company full from all the recent rains.

Fresh deer hooves in the mud and the scent of them in the wind.

Sisters, sniffing together. Sammy learning the way of the woods.

Couldn't help but snap Sammy's "taking in the woods" pose as she is tangled around a small tree.

Lots of smiling and sniffing along the way. Pure joy comes so easily here.

Left over moss and ferns look like green gems against the gray.

Katie and Sammy asking if I am done taking pictures.

I can just hear them, "Can we go now?"

Jumping on rocks... one does and then the other.

Taking a look all around.

Then back to the trail... nose to the ground.

Taking in the lake. Lightly coated with a smidgen of ice, but looking so fresh and blue.

Nothing like dipping a paw in to check the temperature and chase at a fallen leaf.

No substitute for a walk with my buddies to clear my mind, rebalance and get a fresh perspective!

Today's Tea Bag Wisdom: "Your greatness is measured by your gifts, not by what you have."

Farewell 2011 {A Look at Favorites}

2012-01-01T12:29:00.001-05:00

Puppy & Dirt {Snow} Favorites

Creative Tuesday Favorites

Quilting & Sewing Favorites

Some of my favorites from 2011 as a way to say farewell... and welcoming 2012 with the same gusto and excitement!! Here's to totally creative year filled with puppies, dirt, and sewing!

Baby Sammy Stuffie

2011-12-30T08:17:00.000-05:00

I want to share a quick little stuffie I made for my niece.

I took a piece of that really plush fabric I had left laying around. Put the right sides together and loosely sketched out a simple Sammy dog shape.

Cut out the shape and sew it together.

Flip it inside out, fill with stuffing or left over batting bits, close the hole and tie on a cute ribbon.

Cute, right?

A Christmas Gift Quilt Finish! {Sisters Are a Plus}

2011-12-29T10:33:00.002-05:00

I made a quilt this year for my Sister-in-love for Christmas. It was so much fun to dream up and make since she mostly likes what I like. And can you believe that I put this together from cutting to binding in just under one and a half weeks? Insane. I know. And now you know why I was quiet on the blogging front during that time.

I can't promise that I will be putting any quilts together that fast anytime soon. In fact, I also have to admit that I haven't touched my sewing machine since Christmas. I know... nearly four whole days... how am I surviving?

With that, here is the making of the quilt I am calling "Sisters Are A Plus" from beginning to end. I don't seem to have a picture of the stack of fabric I started with, but here are the rows in progress.

It's made mostly from a fat quarter stack of Lizzy House's Outfoxed fabrics. They are so bright and colorful and covered in the cutest foxes, hedgehogs, and bunnies! I also added in some Alexander Henry pieces and others that I had been saving for something special.

The quilt was well tested along the way by the best Quality Inspector in training. Every time I'd have the quilt on the floor for one reason or another Sammy would dashed onto it like lightening and make herself comfortable.

Don't worry, Katie was not to be left out. After all she is the one training little Sammy in the ways of quilty Quality Assurance.

I did something different with the binding than I normally do. This time around I tried out making a continuous bias binding. And really like the whole process. I followed the instructions I found here and here.

I found this method quicker than strip piecing and really enjoyed only having to iron one long strip of binding in half at the end. This orange binding is so pretty... I just wanted to pet it!

And here she is. Sisters Are A Plus!! I used a modified version of the the Plus quilt pattern from In Color Order. My changes added a few rows and columns to make the quilt bigger and square; finishing at about 75 x 75 inches.

And yes, if you noticed this isn't my normal grassy photo spot. Because of the quickness of this quilt's making... it was in the washer/dryer late on Christmas eve and I found myself taking pictures of it (in a panic) Christmas morning before my Sis showed up.

All that aside. Isn't she beautiful? I nearly pulled the "puppy ate your quilt card" and kept this one for myself.

A closer look at the pluses and quilting. I did the quilting in a bright orange thread and outlined each of the pieced lines 1/4 from the edge. It's a lot of lines, but the straight quilting went quick.

You can see the result of the quilting a bit better on the back where all the resulting squares give this quilt a ton of texture!!

I made the back from 1 yard each of five different solids which more or less coordinate with the fabrics on the front. I put them in rainbow order... and in hindsight I might have mixed them up instead.

All in all this comes ridiculously close to my favorite quilt made of all time.

But, I am also so happy that this quilt will be adored in it's new home as much as it would have been with me. And hey.. I can always go over for a dinner party and wisk it home with me, right?

Ha, not happening. You'd understand if you knew my Sister in love.

My quilt using advice to my Sis was:

use the quilt often -- snuggling with a quilt can be like the biggest longest hug ever
don't be nervous washing the quilt -- and hey, dirty happens
over time, your quilt will only get softer!

Her answer to me? She said... yes, I know.. you make your quilts to be used.

I have trained her well!! Such a happy moment as another quilt leaves the nest!

I only hope that you had as much fun and success making and giving homemade gifts this year!

It's an amazing feeling isn't it? To give someone you adore something that you created from nothing but a stack of fabric and string. A wonderful feeling!

Updated to mention I will be sharing this Fabric Tuesday over at Quilt Story!

Holiday Wishes & Cheer!

2011-12-27T11:43:00.000-05:00

Hope you enjoyed a lovely Christmas!!

Wishing you & your family love, peace

and an amazing start to the new year!

Almost Winter Hiking

2011-12-19T15:00:00.000-05:00

A few more snaps of our recent time spent outdoors. For the last three weeks, every chance we had, we would get up before it was light and dash out the door to enjoy the woods.

It's creeping on to that time of the year that we don't wander as far or as often. But I'm hoping this late dose of hiking will carry me through the winter months.

Our lake on a crisp, clear, still morning.

One of the first times I have seen such a calm water surface. Just stunning to see double the amount of trees through the water reflection!

We wandered upon a few root cellars (or stone structures) that were built long ago. This is the one we normally see from the trail.

This is a new to us root cellar that we found tucked into the hillside not far from where we normally wander.

A closer look through the opening. And swear the mister and I talked ourselves into the fact that a bear might be nesting in this one. So much so that I snapped this in a hurry as we rushed off.

This is an old well that I nearly stumbled into.

And this is the third one we saw on the same day.

A closer look at the front. Love how it really nestled into the ground!

The sun has been brilliant; even with the weird fall angle in comes down in.

And the woods around us never fail to spark my imagination and remind me how beautiful the world is.

And it just me, or do the few greens that are left look alive and brilliant? Just takes my breath away.

Wishing you peace and center as we are about to leap into full festivities. Do so with a clear mind and an open heart so that we may continue on our paths to kick start 2012 with a bang!!

Life is Dog-gone Awesome!

2011-12-17T15:11:00.002-05:00

~I'm sewing up a storm and still holding strong.
~The dogs got a nice walk to the lake and back.
~I'm watching episodes of Game of Thrones and loving every line.
~The dogs got to meet and got biscuits from Santa on a fire truck.
~I got candy canes from Santa.
~Seeing Santa still makes me smile from ear to ear; even though I know he's a firefighter dressed up.
~There are tiny little snow flakes in the air.
~It's about one week till Christmas.
~Life is dog gone awesome!!

Friday Finish {NY-NY Quilt}

2011-12-16T11:00:00.003-05:00

I have finally taken pictures of my finished NY-NY quilt!! And here they are! Looking at these picture... the fall/winter sun is pretty harsh... I may try and retake a few this weekend, but that said I still wanted to share the quilt!

I free hand drew the shape of NY state and then using reverse applique I cut out the state. Nerve wrecking and awesome at the same time.

The gray portion is one full yard and then I added the border to make it about 55 x 40 for a decent lap size quilt.

The backing is simply a yard of awesome NYC green fabric with the coolest version of the statue of liberty! The cream border is that minky-like soft fabric I also used on Big Blue.

I added a little hand sewn heart to personalize this quilt -- marking a special birthplace.

The quilting is hard to see, but on NY State I added in all the major highways and roads in yellow thread from Long Island to Albany, and Niagara Falls toward Canada. It was a really fun exercise to learn what roads stretched the length of the state.

And then I did echo quilting around the shape of the state in the gray fabric.

A closer look at the back.

All rolled up and ready to go!

Yes, of course I had to dangle it from a tree.

And just for a fun a flying down to the ground shot....

...because it landed with such grace.

Hoping you are ending or starting your week with grace!! Have a lovely weekend... and wish me luck...I'm still sewing till my arms fall off :)

Shadow and Timber at the Park {done}

2011-12-15T15:36:00.004-05:00

Presenting to you... Shadow and Timber at the Park! These adorable labs are having a fabulous play date at the park with their lunch and frisbee. Adorable, no?

I am so happy with how this piece turned out!! You can see it's beginnings here.

I love the addition of the picnic basket and quilt. And the multi colored french knots field of flowers.

A close up of the puppy faces, noses, ears, and smiles!!

Sometimes a piece takes a little longer than expected...

...but when it finally comes out .... it's love at first sight!

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I hope you are experiencing your own finishing moments as we are all frantically wrapping up creative things before the stroke of midnight on Christmas eve. Only two more quilts to go... wish me luck!

Here's What's Going On...

2011-12-12T06:44:00.002-05:00

Has anyone else (like me) just blinked and realized that it's nearly mid-December already? My brain is still telling me that it should be Halloween time. Heck, we just broke open the last of our pumpkins in the woods yesterday. I guess it was getting funny to see pumpkins on the stoop with a backdrop of Christmas lights.

> We woke to a tiny coating of snow last week which is serving as a reminder of the month we are in. So pretty as it coated all the tree limbs and wood pile!

> I have been sewing like frantic to finish off some cool gifts and am making a lot of progress. I am also giving a demo at tomorrows art quilt guild meeting. I'm so excited, but need to finish my demo piece tonight.

> I am spending most of my down time outdoors with the mister and pups trying to soak in any available sunlight... or just plain day light for that matter. It's helping beat back the winter blahs. It's been fun to take my camera with me too!

> I love the frost crystals on the moss.

> I am amazed at how green the moss looks. Makes me wonder if it's always this green, or if I am just noticing now because everything else is so gray?

> I got a henna tattoo last week. You know the kind of temporary tattoos that originated in India? It was my first one... and it's been so much fun to have!

> Having a henna is making me want to pick up the dye paste and try it again on myself. The designs are limitless and it was so darn quick/easy.

> I am amazed at the crispy-frosty edges on the leaves and how they all get so much texture when they are coated like this.

> I am head-over-heels in love with this girl. She's a silly as she is beautiful and I wouldn't mind spending every minute hanging out with her.

> Meanwhile, this one is reminding me what it is like to be puppy to the max. Everything is being hunted, tissues and shoes aren't safe, and running circles through the house is great entertainment. For every moment I am cross with her, there are fifteen that I want to cuddle and adore her. She's not quite ready for prime time yet, but we made it through puppy school and I can tell she is a great dog in progress!

> And as if the season and time of year aren't confused enough... I walked through my garden to find these flowers in bloom... despite the snow fallen around them. I also saw other plants and bulbs like the crocus budding and thinking of blooming too.

Sorry to be quiet for so long, but hoping to get back into the routine this week with blogging and show you some of the things I am working on... even if some have to be kept secret.

Cheers to a great start to the week!

Creative Tuesday: Mistletoe (#48)

2011-12-06T10:41:00.001-05:00

It's Creative Tuesday; and I admit that it felt so nice to reconnect with my silliness today!

Wondering what a Creative Tuesday is? Every two weeks we grab our pads and something to color with to create for the theme over at Mr. Toast's Creative Tuesday's assignment -- neat, no?

This week's theme is Mistletoe. I have to admit that it's the first time in a long time that I went with the first image that popped in my head. Let's have a look-see!

Any surprise that it's one of my goldens? This this Katie -- our older one and who we claim is the fastest tongue in the east. She is notorious for meeting someone new and trying to sneak in a kiss.

Who wants a smooch??

I sketched and doodled this idea out several times over the week so that when I sat to do it for real... it was pretty natural. Next, I went over the lines that I wanted to keep with a ball point pen.

Then I got to work erasing the pencil lines, adding a few more details, adding a greeting, and adding color with color pencils and markers.

And, you can see here, that yes, I am working on the back of a used envelope. I love the charm of working on reclaimed paper!

Here is a close up photo of my final version.

And the scanned version with minor touch ups in GIMP.

I think I may have to make a second version of this with Sammy, the puppy, in it and use it for a Christmas mailing. Maybe I could put her under the tree with a bow on? Wouldn't that be fun!!

I hope you consider joining in this or the next assignment (really hope you do) and please take a look other artists in the community here.

Dragon Tote is Solidly Done!

2011-11-30T21:57:00.001-05:00

I have finished my Solids Only Tote (with only hours to spare!). I'm going to post a few quick pictures tonight and will be back tomorrow with a few more words and details!!

And, oh, how good being done feels!!

You can read about the challenge by clicking on the button and see the other entries here!

Making Solid Progress {Dragon Tote}

2011-11-22T22:22:00.001-05:00

Get it? Solid progress?

I'm talking about my (until now) neglected entry for the Solids-Only Tote Challenge! (details can be found here) that asks participants to create a tote or bag using only solid fabric. The extra twist is

that we must use either applique, reverse applique, or patchwork to adorn the tote. Sounds like fun, right... and finally feeling real.

So, I've had a dragon swimming around in my imagination that I've declared must now come out. Now. Here is my tote start.

I know, I know... you can barely see my blue Mark-B-Gone pen, but wanted to show you where my sketch started. It's loosy goosy and ready for snipping... since was to become reverse applique.

Reverse applique is a two layer sandwich where the top layer is cut in a stencil like picture allowing the second layer fabrics to show through. Here are my second layer colors pulled (all solids -- so tough!!)

Confession time. I sort of cheated. Since I was still working through what the dragon would look like, I decided to cut the 'stencil' first, instead of committing to colors, sewing all the lines, and then cutting. Glad to get that off my chest.

With the stencil cut out I could begin to audition colors for the different portions of my dragon. Red for the body.

Light and dark gray for the wing. Only the light gray is shown below.

Fire orange spikes up and down the body and tail. I also added the baby pink for the underbelly.

And the finishing touch was a hot pink/purple textured fabric for the front horn.

I know. Your thinking, great dragon, but it doesn't look a thing like a tote. I have some work to texture-ize and bring the dragon to life and I have to figure out how a tote is made. Loving this challenge!!

Creative Tuesday: Three / 3 (#47)

2011-11-22T09:01:00.001-05:00

It's Creative Tuesday and I'm excited to show you what I tried today!

Wondering what a Creative Tuesday is? Every two weeks we grab our pads and something to color with to create for the theme over at Mr. Toast's Creative Tuesday's assignment -- neat, no?

This week's theme is Three or 3 -- as in draw three of something. I thought of so many things that I wanted to draw. It began to get difficult to figure out what to do. This time I let my creative room inspire me and decided to loosely doodle a trio of horses that I have hanging on my wall.

Horses are definitely animals that I adore. I find them intelligent, inspiring, and elegant. And incredible difficult to draw -- but that's part of the fun of this challenge, right?

I also wanted to play with my water color pencils to add some texture and light hints of color. Here is what I came up with. I had fun and have to say that I would definitely give horses another try!

Here is a closer picture of the doodle, since I am short on time to scan. The overcast day isn't helping much, but you get the idea!

I hope you consider joining in this or the next assignment (really hope you do) and please take a look other artists in the community here.

Friday Night Sewing {results}

2011-11-19T13:23:00.001-05:00

Had a great night sewing and made a lot more progress on the NY-NY binding -- almost done, cleaned off my desk and workspace nicely, loaded a few bobbins, watched the movie 300, and made some serious progress on this confetti quilting piece of Shadow and Timber.

Here is Shadow and Timber in progress...

The confetti was laid out to create the grass and sky.

A close up of all the tiny scraps.

The meshing is overlaid and then pinned down.

Start to sew and secure the pieces in place as you go.

A look as some of the colors that are going in.

Most of the pieces are secured and textured at this point.

I start pulling fabrics for the details of the dogs, red frisbee, trees in the background, and picnic blanket. I also cut out the pups Shadow and Timber from a print out to get a template for their bodies.

Shadow was cut out of black fabric and Timber out of white. I still have the paper templates laid on top and everything is pinned in place to get a feel for the placements.

And a close up view.

I'm really excited with how this piece is turning out! I still need to sew all the pieces in place, finish planning the trees and sky, decide if I like how the picnic blanket is rumpled, make a picnic basket and then it's off to finishing details like the dogs eyes and nose, the dogs collars, and maybe some flowers.

Hope your sew-in was a huge success!!

Can't wait to peak around and see what everyone else did. You can see the other participants here!

I blinked and the week went by. Whoa!

2011-11-18T19:34:00.001-05:00

And I sure haven't taken many pictures lately with the whole getting dark early thing, but one thing I have been enjoying are the spectacular colors through the tree silhouettes in the mornings.

Tonight you will find me here at my sewing machine, because it's a Friday Night Sew-In!! You can read more about what they are over at Heidi's blog. So happy to have the kick in the pants to dig deep, put my book down and get some sewing time in.

My plans for tonight you might ask? Well, no solid game plan, but I'm hoping to finish hand sewing the binding on NY-NY if Sammy is done inspecting the quilt. And we will see what else I get to. I might want to start with a little tidying of my desk or cut fabric for my Solids Only Tote Challenge.

Want to wish you a wonderful night of sewing and I'll be back tomorrow with what I get done!!

Happy Three Years to Us!!

2011-11-15T19:31:00.001-05:00

Three years ago today I married my best friend. A part of me can't believe it's already been three years -- where has time gone; and the other part of me can't believe it's only been three years -- what an amazing adventure we are on together!

I decided to doodle up the 'Old Apache Blessing' that we used in our ceremony. The words are still so meaningful today! {Feel free to download it or print it if it's your kind of thing.}

I Love you Mr. Happy. More! (yup, more!)

Previous anniversary thoughts and more wedding details can be found here and here.

WIP: Sassy Sewing Saves Sanity

2011-11-09T09:28:00.000-05:00

I was a little held back from sewing by the whole power outage and snow thing last week, but over the last few nights I have had my sewing machine humming beautifully, much to my delight!

--NEW--

Solids-Only Tote Challenge!

Here is the latest thing I am trying my hand at. It's a month long challenge (details can be found here) that asks participants to create a tote or bag using only solid fabric. The extra twist is that we must use either applique, reverse applique, or patchwork to adorn the tote. Sounds like fun, right?

I am just starting to sketch out my ideas and design. But I'll let you in that it has to do with Dragons!! This is going to be a great mental break for me from all the other quilts I have rolling this month and a chance to get a dragon design that has been lingering in my head all summer, out!

Color Wheel Charm Swap

I have my charms cut and ready to be mailed for the latest round of the Charm Swap hosted by the lovely Kati From The Blue Chair.

My color this round was Blue-Violet in a dark and light fabric. Tough color, but fun to look at so many designs. And I am really looking forward to having a big stack of charms (5x5 inch squares) to play with!!

--IN PROGRESS--
NY-NY

This quilt just feels so right.

It's flying along, of course it's also about the half the size I normally work at, which is pretty nice for a change. I have the front and back ready to go. Here is the back. It's a yard of cool NYC-esque fabric with a healthy border of that cream minky around it.

And the front you saw here, and I have added a border of dark blue linen around it. I couldn't be happier with how it's looking!

I sandwiched it last night and my next step is to quilt it. I am going to add the major roads and highways in the state. Can't wait!! And there is also one final touch I am going to keep secret. Hoping to finish this one by the end of the weekend so I can show you a finish next week!

Winter Birds
This is a mostly top secret project that will result in a birthday/Christmas gift. Yes, Mom (hi!!!) this one is for you <3

Shadow and Timber: confetti style

Hi Terri!! I am excited to have gotten a healthy start on this art quilt! I am working from this picture of two adorable labs, Shadow and Timber, playing frizbee. Terri contacted me about turning this picture into a confetti style art quilt and together we devised a plan.

Here are most of the pieces prepped and ready to go. And yes, I am going to make you wait one more day to hear more of the details and see how it's going. But, I promise, it will be worth the wait!!

--ON PAUSE--

Laughing Leaves with Frieda Anderson

More the project can be seen here.

Can't wait to roll up my sleeves and dig back in! You can also check out what I learned about using fusible in an art quilt!

Star Struck

Star quilt-a-long by Melissa at Happy Quilting. I am still standing at one block.

{Insert Name Here}: Bottled Rainbows {ticker tape quilt-along}

I'm glad I had no deadline for myself on this one, but I am sure it will be an awesome winter project and just the right thing to pick up after all this crazy holiday sewing!

This Week's Work in Progress (WiP) Stats:

Last WiP Wednesday Total: 6
New Projects: 1

Finished Projects: 0
Total WiP's: 7

Creative Tuesday: Thank You / Thanksgiving (#46)

2011-11-08T16:00:00.001-05:00

It's Creative Tuesday and gosh I haven't fit this creative stretching in since September. Whoa!

Wondering what a Creative Tuesday is? Every two weeks we grab our pads and something to color with to create for the theme over at Mr. Toast's Creative Tuesday's assignment -- neat, no?

This week's theme is Thanksgiving or Thank You. I could be really literal for the holiday or just express a gracious feeling in my rendering. Well, I have to admit that I still have logs and firewood on my brain and that's all that kept coming out in my sketches. So, I embraced it.

Here is the pen ink drawing. That's Katie on the left and Sammy on the right. Yup, the golden retrievers that rule my existance. And this looks a whole lot like a certain picture from this post I think, but you be the judge.

And in the spirit of trying new things and the whole creative stretching I decided to color it in both with GIMP (a GNU image manipulation program -- free to download) and also with markers and color pencils.

First up. The version I colored on the computer.

I do like the way I can audition colors for different things with GIMP. I also like that I can have any 'ole color I can dream up in my coloring box. What do you think?

And here is the more traditional markers and color pencils version. I have to admit that the coloring of the pups didn't come out nearly at all. They were a lot more yellow/golden in my version, but again I'll embrace the way it was scanned.

And because I can't stop mucking with things.. I took the marker and color pencil version back into GIMP and added a canvas texture. Oh, this stuff is just so much fun!!

And I do apologize if I didn't get the words just right. I was sketching along and then realized the instructions asked for either Thanksgiving, or Thank you -- geez, can we just chalk it up to getting back into the swing of things? I'll try harder next time :)

I hope you consider joining in this or the next assignment (really hope you do) and please take a look other artists in the community here.

My Weekend Wood Stacking Adventures

2011-11-07T09:21:00.000-05:00

Like I was saying, we were very busy this weekend. Luckily power was restored in full Friday night and we could start getting back to normal things.

Like taking pictures of the pups. Katie is on the left, Sammy on the right.

Once some of the clean up was done we played. You can see all the wood we cut and stacked in the back for drying. It still needs to be split, but that might be a spring time thing.

Do you you see Sammy in this one?

Katie got in a little running too. They were so happy to goof off and chase each other.

See those big pieces on the right? That is from the big oak that feel on the power lines. Each one of those probably means a nice warm night. Crazy how big they are -- and heavy!!

More goofing off was order...

And life is funny sometimes, because as I was browsing my google reader the other day and I ran across this post from What's Up Whimsy which had this picture ... which I of course pinned.

...hmmm, and now it looks like I have my own version!

With a couple of silly goldies to boot.

And this one is perfect for a reference to how big those crazy logs are! The biggest is almost as tall as Sammy!

And lastly, due to the storm, our Halloween party was pushed back a week, so this past weekend we played Halloween. Here I am with the mister. I'm a pirate. He's a bony zombie.

And you know.

He won scariest costume. Craziness!!

Cheers to a good week and hope you are smiling no matter what you have going on!!

Fruits of Our Labor

2011-11-06T20:59:00.001-05:00

Hope you had a wonderful weekend!! We were busy little bees. Tell you more about it tomorrow!!

Happy Moment #43: New York Quilt Start

2011-11-04T13:43:00.002-04:00

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”

~Omar Khayyam

Puppies Playing in the Snow

2011-11-02T13:03:00.002-04:00

How about a doggy video today? Still not back to normal yet, but no matter what is going on this video sure makes me smile!!

We'll talk soon!!

Ten Day {Before, During, and After Snow}

2011-10-31T11:29:00.000-04:00

Here are ten pictures from the last few days including all this crazy snow I alluded to. I hope to be back up and sewing soon (still coming to you from no power; thank goodness for generators for the basics!!).

Sammy made her first trip to the Home Depot. And has a lot of training to go, but seemed to love every moment of it!

I made Candy Corn sugar cookies for a Halloween party that never happened. Snowed out. We've enjoyed them either way. Here is the site that shows the how to.

The snow started early on Saturday and the ground and trees were covered within an hour. Still pretty at this point.

Snuggled up with a fire to get through the storm.

Sammy's first snow!! She was tickled at the idea of playing, running, and eating it! Even catching flakes. She sure knows how to enjoy a good storm!

Katie looking adorable as she is covered in snow from playing.

Lost power which meant playing Monopoly by candlelight with the mister. Sammy loved the game too as she tried to eat my properties and money.

The next morning. Sun was shining brightly... and rather beautiful. But oh my goodness there are so many trees down, thirteen inches of snow, and a ton of clean up to do. Not to mention that tree, a ninety foot oak, at the end of the drive is down on the power lines and over the driveway.

Sigh.

But the sky and trees were so beautiful!!

And yet. This big tree is causing a lot of work. I'll feel better when it's all cleaned up and the power is restored. At least our mailbox was spared. See you all soon!!

Snow Day(s)

2011-10-30T08:17:00.005-04:00

We got the nearly one foot of snow they talked about for our area. There are a ton of trees down, power is out -- thank goodness for the generator! It may take a bit to clean up... back as soon as I can.

Fall 2011 Bloggers’ Quilt Festival :: Big Blue

2011-10-28T15:57:00.001-04:00

I am so excited to say that today is the start of the Fall Bloggers' Quilt Festival!!

These are put on twice a year by the amazing Amy from AmysCreativeSide and it's a fantastic reason to pour a cup of tea and read until you are so inspired you run off to start another quilt (or finish one!!) -- just click the button for all the other inspiring entries!

This time I am sharing a quilt named Big Blue, which I created for my husband (this is the quilt I shared last time). I've been quilting for a few years now and had to laugh when my husband asked where his was. And I was like... yup, it's time to make him one.

His requirements were few. He wanted something big since he's a tall guy (Big Blue is about 90'' x 90''), solid colors, not a lot quilting and he wanted it for October -- before it gets cold. When I found this bundle of solid fat quarters I knew I was on the right track!

Pardon me Katie (she is our 4 1/2 year old golden), the nice readers would like the see the quilt for a moment. Although, I admit you are a cutie!!

Ah, there is it.

Made of all solids. Which is a fun first for me (going to link to TNT Thursday's at Happy Quilting to celebrate this first!). And I am really digging this color combo of ice and dark blues, grays, and navy linen sashing!

For the quilting I kept it simple as requested with an outline around each of the color bricks in a light gray thread.

The backing is a very cuddly soft minky-like fabric in a dog hair friendly cream color. And I think it's so cool how the bricks are echoed from the quilting!! Great texture too!

And there you have it. Now let's take a moment to take in all the blue quilty goodness!

Katie is always so interested when I am parading a quilt around looking for good spots to take photos. She looks so small next to it.

Awesome contrast with the crackled back top.

Hi again Katie! If the goldies can't resist it, you know it must be good!

A boy quilt needs to be properly pictured on a tractor, right? It seems only natural.

I am also entering this quilt into Stitched in Color's Celebrate Color celebration!!

I have to laugh, this color combo doesn't really scream fall, but when you start to think of frosty mornings (grays), the evenings getting darker faster (navy and dark blues), clear crisp skies (near blacks) to take in star gazing (near white gray's), and the first bits of ice and frost (mid and deep blues)... all of those colors are in fact reflected in Big Blue.

It's really been a fun twist as I reflect on the last of falling leaves and mum's ending. There are still so many colors to be enjoyed... just have to remember to look for them! And wouldn't you know.. we had our first snow in NY last night. Only about 1/2 inch. But it really looked more blue-gray out this morning than the traditional bright fall oranges and reds. Too funny! And chilly!

Or if you look really closely at these pumpkin props... now it feels even more seasonal, doncha think?

I had a lot of fun pulling this quilt together. And I hope you had a fun time checking it out with Katie and I! Thank you for stopping in and leave a link below with your Festival quilt if you like... we'd love to pop in and say hi!

If you'd like here are some of the other related posts:

I'm linking up with these fun parties!! See you there!

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY >

Happy Moment #42: Katie and Sammy Say HI!

2011-10-28T10:26:00.000-04:00

“Be happy for this moment. This moment is your life.”

~Omar Khayyam

Cross Ridge Hike to Sam's Point

2011-10-27T08:38:00.000-04:00

Hiking has always been a thing that the mister and I hold dear. Our first date was a long hike, we were married at a hiking place, and we life gets tough... we hike. This past weekend was no exception. We were due for a long hike (the wet spring and summer cramped our hiking) and when the opportunity came up to cross from Minnewaska State Park Preserve to Sam’s Point we jumped at it.

{warning picture heavy post!}

We drove to Sam's Point. Beautiful morning with a slight chill in the air.

Here is the conservatory lodge. The very same one we were married in. Awww!

Getting reacquainted with my friend. I have a picture of me doing the very same thing in my wedding dress.

The bus came to take us to Minnewaska. Still can't think of how long it had been since I rode on a big yellow bus. High school?

We got started on Mossy Glen Path. Normally a nice stroll over and along a small stream. Do you see that sign? Bridge out? Most of this area had been closed just a few weeks ago due to the hurricane damage and the constant rains. Let's see what were are in for?

Here is the stream we had to hop across. Rocks are your friends... and so is keeping three points of contact.

We meandered along the stream after that. Do you see all those trees down and up rooted? That's not normal.

We ate lunch at Castle Point. The views were just breath taking. And it was fun to point off in the distance to where we were to end our adventure later that day.

Along the trail the ridge terrain changes many times. Up hills, over big rocks, and down into valleys we went.

Once in awhile you could look back to see where you had been. This shows Castle Point (our lunch spot).

We went by many lakes. Most were full to the brim.

One of the rewards at the end was the view of Vanderkill Falls. It was roaring with all the rain water pouring over. I've seen this falls a bunch of times and it never fails to amaze me. It's a tough hike out, but this re-energized me!

This is that second reward I was talking about. These are blueberry bushes turned bright red for the fall. It was really something to look as far as possible and see fields of red a glow from the setting sun.

This re-energized me too!

Near the end of the hike now. Less than 1/2 a mile to car --whhoooohhooo! I find myself always taking this picture of the edge of Sam's Point rock from the bottom up.

And then were back to the lodge. In one piece. No worse for the wear; ok, maybe a little sore.

Hard to really pinpoint what it is about hiking that is so rewarding, but I am so thankful to be able to get out like this and soak in as much of the great outdoors as I can.

And how far was this hike you might be asking? We went for about 11-12 miles. It was a hardy hike, but conquering things like this really reminds me just how much I am capable of.

When and where was your last hike?

Seasonal Sewing Free-for-all!

2011-10-26T11:12:00.000-04:00

--FINISHES--

Crewel Spring Flowers - showed you this one last week!!
Confetti: Dog Path in the Woods - started this week off with this finish!

Big Blue - I have been quilting this one like a maniac so that I can have it to reveal this Saturday for the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by the lovely Amy from Amy'sCreativeSide. I think I am going to just make it!

Oh and of course the mister is going to be thrilled to have his very own quilt to curl up in!

--IN PROGRESS--

Laughing Leaves with Frieda Anderson

Showed you this project yesterday.

Can't wait to roll up my sleeves and dig back in! You can also check out what I learned about using fusible in an art quilt!

--NEW--

And I have three new projects to introduce! I know.. three!!!!

Winter Birds

This is a mostly top secret project that will result in a birthday/Christmas gift. Yes, Mom, if you are reading (Hi!!) this is the start of your quilt and.... you are going to have to wait to see more.

But, I couldn't resist a teaser shot!

NY-NY

This is also a last minute, mostly top secret venture that I am looking to start and finish in the next 2-3 weeks. Here is one of the starring fabrics!

Timber and Shadow: confetti style

I look forward to telling you more about this new project separately next week. The main idea is that I am going to translate these two awesome labs into the confetti quilting style that I just did for Dog Path.

It's going to be a cool one!!

Confession... and I have more fabric on the way for a fourth new project that I will probably be introducing next week (Yes, Beka... it's with you in mind... and you'll laugh... it's more birds!!). Keeping busy makes me pretty darn happy!! And who says I can't start/finish another four big quilts this year and probably about 3-4 smaller art quilts. I love a good challenge!

--ON PAUSE--

Star Struck
Star quilt-a-long by Melissa at Happy Quilting. I am still standing at one block.

{Insert Name Here}: Bottled Rainbows {ticker tape quilt-along}

I'm glad I had no deadline for myself on this one, but I am sure it will be an awesome winter project and just the right thing to pick up after all this crazy holiday sewing!

This Week's Work in Progress (WiP) Stats:

Last WiP Wednesday Total: 6
New Projects: 2

Finished Projects: 3 (Crewel Pillow, Dog Path, and Big Blue)
Total WiP's: 6

(and I'm back to six again? this must be some sort of mental capacity for me -- too funny!)

Get YOUR Super On!

2011-10-25T15:11:00.000-04:00

Smacking my head on my forehead...

I'm guest blogging today for the HOWL-OWEEN Tricks and Treats Craftathon over at Rhinestone Beagle -- a seriously awesome crafting, cooking, and gardening blog that also as you might have guessed is highly dog infused!!

Has your pup (or cat) recieved a last minute invitation to a Halloween Ball and have nothing to wear? Are you interested in joining a Halloween pet contest or parade and have no costume in sight? Do you just like dressing up your dog maybe for the big game or no reason at all?

Well fear not... Super Sammy is here to the rescue!! Ta, ta, ta, TA!!!

So, get on over to Rhinestone Beagle and make your very own dog, cat, or people cape so you too can get your super on!!

**Disclaimer... wearing the super cape don't guarentee you can fly, leap buildings in a single bound, or see through walls.**

Laughing Leaves with Frieda Anderson

2011-10-25T14:09:00.000-04:00

So, I took my first ever quilting class last week. Exciting isn't even close to describing how awesome it was. The class was called Laughing Leaves with Frieda Anderson. Her blog is here.

I think part of what made it so incredible was how many firsts it was for me:

* It was my first time playing with hand dyed fabric
* It was my first time working completely with applique -- like which side do I iron?
* It was my first time using decorative rotary cutter blades
* It was my first time spending a whole day quilting with a group of awesome ladies
* It was my first time (in awhile) that I tried to take creative direction and didn't just do my own thing.
* It was my first time quilting in anywhere, but the safety of my sewing room

We had a beautiful cabin on the lake setting...

...which was pretty, even as it poured outside for most of the day.

Frieda hand dyes all her fabrics. The evening before she described her technique in detail at the guild meeting. Really makes me appreciate all the effort that goes in to creating fabric like this.

I think the initial cutting of her beautiful fabric was fairly challenging ... since we dove right into the background and did things a bit differently than I normally approach things -- the idea was to let the design develop naturally.

Each of her yards of fabric had between 7 and 14 colors on them in gradient. Really cool!!

Here I am arranging my background and the strips between.

At some point I decided the oranges and yellows in the background were too much. I also started to add other elements in the gray boxes. Looking at it now, one week later, I have to laugh because I have so many ideas for how to finish this! The day of the class I think I was getting a little overwhelmed.

All in all, I feel like I accomplished what I set out to do and that was to push myself out of my comfort zone and create something I wouldn't have done on my own. I also really enjoyed the experience of hanging out with a group of other quilting enthusiasts for the day.

Here are few other things I learned:
* Clean fusible (or any sticky goo) off your iron with an unused (and unscented) dryer sheet
* The release paper on fusible can be reused and makes a good working surface and you are building up layers and adding elements
* Placement of fusible isn't permanent until you steam it. That means you can lightly tack your design (as I have above), and go back and remove/move something if you want to try something else.
* When trying to cut out leaves or any shape for that matter... it doesn't hurt to look at the real thing (or a picture). Don't always have to work from memory.
* Stand up to cut with decorative blades. They really require a bit of force to cut.
* Cut with decorative blades on the back of your mat... they do scar cutting mats.
* Putting a hanging sleeve on your work is much easier to do that I previously thought!
* Oh, and last thing I found really cool.. you can fuse to card stock!! Can you say holiday cards?

I am going to add this unnamed piece to my in progress stack, but I'm already looking forward to pulling it out and finishing it up so I can take it to the November quilt guild meeting for show and tell.

And since this features a few firsts for me I am joining Melissa at Happy Quilting for TNT (Trying New Things) Thursdays. If you have tried something new... doesn't have to be quitling related join in!

Have you ever taken a quilting class?