Blooming Butterflies

I am seriously ready for Spring. Yeah, I know, technically, Winter has yet to arrive according to the calendar, but according to my outside thermometer...it's here with a vengeance!

And, essentially after two weeks of wintry weather and temperatures, I'm ready for Spring! But, I know I have no hope of really feeling warm weather for the next four months or so... for now, I'll just share a nice Spring themed quilt you, courtesy of my Mom.
She made this Butterfly quilt about five years ago. Each butterfly is made of five hand-appliqued pieces with hand embroidered antennae. I helped her select the fabrics, two coordinating floral prints for each butterfly.
She wanted to hand quilt it, but decided to have a longarm quilter finish it for her. It's from a scrap quilt book, which I can't remember the name of, but if you really want to track it down, let me know and I can find out what the book is called.
We repainted her bedroom to match the quilt, a soft pink color, with a white stenciled butterfly border up near her white ceiling. Can you see it? The stencil is very subtle, but striking.

Well, it's not warm weather, but I do feel a little better.

Snow Day!

The midwest got slammed by a blizzard this week, Des Moines was blessed was 16 inches of snow, and today, in the calm after the storm, a temp of -3 degrees fahrenheit!!!! Brrrr! I was jumping for joy yesterday when I received news of my Snow Day...

An unexpected day off work = An unexpected day of sewing!

This photo is one I took on my way into work this morning, it's alongside my car, a snow drift (not a man-made pile of snow) the black band at the bottom is the dashboard of my VW Beetle.
I sewed all day, never stepped outside, didn't even get out of my pajamas all day. Now, that's the definition of a good day, my friends. What did I sew, you ask? I finished the stockings that I bought fabric for LAST December....They are made with red velvet (the real stuff), white fleece, and various bright Christmas fabrics, all from my stash, and most of them from Michael Miller. The Prairie Points were a fun way to dress them up without detracting from the velvet...
I lined each one with a bright, fun fabric as well...I made my own stocking pattern, since I dislike the shape of many patterns I see. They need to be wide enough to at least squeeze a book or DVD down in there! My sweetie thought I should embroider our names on them, but I didn't want to go that far, so I found these little sterling silver photo frame ornaments and appliqued our initials, the frames hang just in front of the stockings on our hooks and really dress up the mantle!
There was another project I worked on after these, but you'll have to wait to see pics of that one! Not quite finished yet!

Happy Holidays, a blessed Advent, and safe Winter travels to you and yours! And, to my readers Down Under, I hope you are enjoying your warm temps and spring blossoms!

Doris

A NEW Blog!

I'm hosting a 2010 Virtual Quilting Bee beginning in January...and I am so excited! (sang to the tune of the Pointer Sisters, of course...)

photo credit: craftzine.com

The bee can be followed here, www.oneblockover.blogspot.com, check out the blog roll on the sidebar there to meet our fabulous participants!

photo credit: artquiltsbyjen.com

I can wait to see the ideas we come up with!

photo credit: marciglenn.wordpress.com

The works of art we create!

photo credit: craftycrafty.tv

The inspiration we give to each other!

photo credit: wordsandwool.wordpress.com

Did I mention I'm excited? Please add our Bee Blog to your reader or become a Follower, you'll be glad you did... We'll be here to motivate and inspire you all year long!

Peek-a-Boo!

See that little guy in the center, in the plaid shorts and green sweater? Isn't he adorable, like he's playing hide-and-seek or peek-a-boo?! And see those sweet little bluebirds and bumble bees? I love this fabric, it's called "scouts" by Alexander Henry. It's been in my stash for a while, and not wanting to chop it up too much, I mad e acute little asymmetrical, improvisational boy quilt showcasing the fabric in all it's glory.
I'm also a big fan of that orange and white starburst fabric in the strips that surround my row of different sized coins.The quilting on the strippy side is straight line, and over the scouts fabric I stippled (I'm even getting pretty good at that!)
The backing a sweet. soft flannel, that I got some time ago from JoAnn's. And the binding is a scrappy orange pieced binding, incorporating several of the fabrics I used in the coins. I'm really liking this quilt, and might even be a little sad to give it away in the next few weeks......not that I have any use for it, myself...

Pieceful times

I mentioned yesterday that I'm trying to find the Peace in the Season, and to that end, I decorated my new home, just enough, to add cheer and excitement to the everyday surroundings. And, of course, I always find some peace in piecing...
This was my set up in the living room last night, piecing a new quilt for the shop while I watched Biggest Loser. I always love the sight of a pile of chain-pieced blocks...it provides me with such a sense of accomplishment!I'm making the Shoeboxes quilt out of Terry Atkinson's Time Out Quilts Book. Super fast, easy, and oh, sew, cute!

One final note, December has finally arrived, and by that, I mean the December temperatures! Yesterday, December 1st, our temps were in the 60s (Fahrenheit!). Our average November temp this year was 47.2 degrees! WAY above normal. Today, it's in the low 30s, and I finally wore my new scarf from Jan to work today along with my lovely "new" upcycled mittens (made from old wool sweaters). It's beginning to feel a lot like Christmas...

In Praise...

...and Thanksgiving.
Well, I didn't get this posted in November, but I need to finish the last four items on my Giving Thanks list... (and offer a special thank you to Leah, for hosting this Challenge, and making me stop and think of the many things, large and small, that I have to be grateful for!)

So here goes... #27, My fabric.
I know, that sounds frivolous, and material (no pun intended), but fabric has become the medium of expression for my creativity (Giving Thanks item #17), a gift bestowed on me by God. Fabric can cheer me up when depression takes hold, fabric can help me cheer someone else when I make items for charity or someone in need... For my new friend, Linda, it is the medium that helps her to carry out her mission. For quilters, sewists, and crafters, our fabric is definitely something to be grateful for!
#28, my sewing machine(s). Okay, that's not my sewing machine in the photo (but if you have one to sell, send me an email!), my Pfaff is just a little newer than that (you know, eighty years or so...) and my Singer Featherweight was made in the 1950s. And even though they aren't perfect or top of the line...I'm glad to have them and appreciate the role they play in my creative life.
#29, Advent. I have a hard time with the month of December (well, November, too, now) because of the retail craziness, the advertising, the pressure to spend, spend, spend, the news reports about how to deal with holiday stress, the social events, the lack of importance placed on the true reason for the season. This year, I'm taking a different approach in hopes of getting more out of the month of December. I started an Advent prayer book on Sunday, committing about ten minutes a day to quiet time, in contemplation. I paired down on Christmas decorations, we still have a beautiful tree, a decorated mantle and my childhood Nativity sits under the tree. But that's enough. I'm going to focus more on time spent with loved ones this year, rather than making or buying just the right item for them. I'm hoping this deeper focus on the season of Advent, rather than the "modern holiday season" will give me the peace I've been searching for in previous Decembers...and finally, #30, My Faith. The most important item on this list. For without it, life as I know it would cease to exist.

Have a Blessed Advent Season,

Doris

In Thanksgiving...

Today I am thankful for....
My Vision. I had my eyes checked two weeks ago and picked my new glasses up this Monday. I love getting new glasses, a new style. My prescription changed drastically this time, and the next vision exam I have, we will most likely be talking the dreaded B word. But, no matter how strong my glasses get, I'm grateful for my vision that allows me to see beauty, create beauty, read words, and take in my surroundings.
Pumpkins. In my humble opinion, nature's perfect food. I'm going to savor every last morsel of my pumpkin pie this week. I enjoyed the pumpkin bars that Lisa brought over last night. The pumpkin soup I made last weekend was scrumptious. I'm sipping a yummy Pumpkin Spice Latte as I type... Truly, nature's perfect food.
Exercise. While I loathe the idea of doing it most days, I'm glad to have the opportunity to exercise my body (and wear off the calories from all those pumkpin goodies) and relieve stress, tone my muscles, and improve my health.

My sweetie. I hosted my small group last night, and in preparation, my sweetie vacuumed, cleaned bathrooms, dusted, brought extra chairs up from the garage, bought groceries...all without complaint. He's also going to take me to quilt shops in the Twin Cities this weekend, just because he knows it will make me happy. All without complaint.

My new quilt studio. (Sorry no final shots, yet!) I love having a room dedicated to sewing and creating. Thanks, sweetie, for painting it and helping me set it up!

My Seams Sew Easy small group. Our gathering was held at my house last night. Six of my seven small group members came by to enjoy Chinese takeout, admire my new quilt studio, and finalize the layout of our American Heart Association Quilt. Remember the Red Dress blocks I made? Here they are with the rest of the blocks...
And the appliqued borders...made by Emma and Veronica...
Lisa did some emergency seam ripping on a pinwheel block that wasn't "spinning"...The quilt will be auctioned off the American Heart Association Gala in February.
And of course, I'm grateful for Family Gatherings. At Thanksgiving, or any other day, time spent with family, no matter how frustrating or challenging, is time to be savored and treasured. We never know which time might be the last time.