A long week

Hi friends, thanks for checking back. Well, it's been a long week already. For those of you who don't know, I live in one town and work in another so I'm constantly moving back and forth. Luckily I have sewing machines set up in both places so I can sew when I get the chance, but it's a bit complicated packing projects back and forth. Add to that two family birthdays last weekend (my husband and youngest son), and throw in mono for one son (diagnosed on Friday - still terribly sick, and over his birthday no less!) and you'll understand why I don't have much in the way of quilting to share. So, this week I don't have any pictures to post, but I do have a cool link for you - especially if you love free motion quilting. Leah has started an incredible journey, 365 days of free motion quilting fillers, so be sure to check out her blog. Each day she presents a new filler design, accompanied by a video. How cool is that? Thanks Leah, for inspiring all of us. PS. This weekend, I'm headed to McCloud to enjoy a quilting retreat put on by Cindy Needham. This will be my second retreat and if you get a chance to sign up for one, I highly recommend it. Cindy puts so much thought and care in to her retreats to make each one a special time for her "guests." Cindy is offering 4 to 5 a year, and they fill up fast. I'm already on the schedule to attend two next year and can hardly wait.

PS - Check out my pic of the "Out the Window" bird quilt below. Does anyone see anything wrong with the top and bottom borders? LOL. I didn't even notice the mistake until I looked at the pic - and where were my friends? No one pointed out the problem! Anyway, the quilt has been ditched and I'll finish quilting it this weekend. Stay tuned for a finished picture.

Quilting with Cindy and Goldie

I spent this weekend quilting at a Good Times Weekend with Cindy Needham and Goldie. Plenty of quilting, sewing, eating, and chatting. Cindy and Goldie have been hosting these weekends (4 a year) for a while now and they continue to gain in popularity. They set the dates for 2010 and I had to stay up until midnight one night to ensure that my email reservation was made timely! I took a few pics to share with you from this weekend. First, I still need to applique some flowers into the 4 corners of my "out the window" wall hanging by Material Obsessions, but otherwise it's done! I also took a picture of my progress on the Bunny Hills Designs block of the month. Isn't it cute! I can hardly wait for the new pattern each month. Since the Good Times Weekend is held in the Honey Run Quilters classroom, I was able to manage some shopping time. Check out the cool Dresden flower quilt and give Honey Run Quilters a call to place your order! Sue, from one of my earlier Sunflower classes, is now hooked on sunflowers and made her second one. Fabulous, isn't it? Finally, Suzanne - who gets way too much accomplished - made this cute Christmas stocking. Of course, her choice of fabrics were so good that I had to run to the quilt shop and get my own collection. Hope you had a great weekend and enjoy the pictures.

North State River Run

Last weekend was the annual North State River Run with nine quilt shops participating in the fun. I didn't get a chance to visit all nine quilt shops but did make it to Honey Run Quilters in Chico, and Morning Star Quilts and Debbie's Quilt Shop in Paradise. Each shop had a particular theme and I really got a kick out of Debbie's Quilt Shop - its theme was a birthday party complete with party favors and birthday cake. Since it's my birthday week I felt like they were throwing me a party! While at Morning Star Quilts, I snapped a picture of one of the quilts displayed in the store then had some fun and turned the picture into a kaleidoscope picture. What do you think? I'm not sure who made the quilt, maybe Jen? If you know, please let me know so I can give credit where credit is due. It's a fabulous quilt with a great choice of colors. Enjoy the pictures.

On the wall

Well, I've had a few fun days. I spent Monday at the local quilt shop; sewing and celebrating Pam's birthday (Happy Birthday, Pam!). Today my friend Lesa came to visit and we hit the mall and the Cheesecake Factory. Yum! I am posting two pics of quilts that have been on my design wall. I've added borders to the Shining Sunflower wall hanging and tonight I'm going to get it pinned and ready for machine quilting. Don't you love the backing fabric? I'm also making good progress on Out the Window, a pattern by Material Obsession. I hope to have the border pieced by next week so I can work on it at an upcoming retreat. Did I mention that Pam gave me the new Material Obsession Two book as an early birthday present? I'm so lucky! I hope you enjoy the pictures.

Flumes and Fabric

I hope you are enjoying the long weekend. This morning my hubby and I got up early, had a fabulous breakfast at a local cafe, and took Coco (our dog) for a nice hike along the Centerville water flume. It gets a bit tricky in spots where you have to cross the flume on a catwalk. Coco didn't like the catwalks one bit! On another front, take a look at my new stash. On Friday I made a stop at the local quilt shop and also had two packages arrive from etsy. What fun! Am busy thinking up ideas on what to make next. How about you - are you enjoying your weekend or doing anything special? How about project ideas - do you have any projects to suggest as a use for my new fabric? Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Wine anyone?

If you get a chance, visit Fuzio's Universal Bistro in Sacramento. For the last month or so I've been visiting them on Tuesday nights for wine tasting. Each month they feature a different winery. Last month they featured wines by Due Vigne (www.duevigne.com) and I left with a bottle of their 2005 cab, which I highly recommend (I have hidden away for a special occasion.) Last week, Maddi's husband Jeff accompanied her to help pour and they were just preparing to celebrate their 12th wedding anniversary. Congrats to you two! This month Fuzio's is having a whole slate of specials including a special wine (go online to fuzio.com to get the secret "word" for a fabulous discount), a raffle, and fire-grilled pizzas on Saturday Sept 5th for $3.00. I'll leave you wih a pic of Maddi and Jeff, and a pic of Due Vigne bottles lined up for pouring. Take care and keep in touch. Next up, pictures of my design wall and crafty items I've been working on.