Cold Winter Noses

I Cannot say that we have experienced very many cold winter noses this winter, and if we have, we don't have to endure it for very long as it warms up again in just a few days! I could say that this is my late February 1 XMAS Item, but I prefer to put a postive spin on it and say that it is my final February finish and a very early finish for my March 1 XMAS Item!  This Sandy Grevais panel has been hanging on the wall of my studio for over two years, right after I finally sewed the border on it, but I must have purchased it over 5 years ago.  I had to close the blinds to take the "before" picture, and as you can see Samantha was bored by the whole process.  I finally quilted it, bound it and sewed the sleeve on it, and that's also 1 2/3 yards to add to  my Stash Out tally as well as another UFO to mark as FINISHED!  Happy Quilting!

Being a Little Naughty Was Very Nice!

I was naughty in my failure to complete my project in time for One Xmas project a month, but I was having a lot of fun - which is always very nice!  The Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival was nearby in Hampton, Virginia so I went on Thursday with a few of my friends in my Quilting Bee.  Mere words cannot adequately describe the experience!  Visual overload?  Amazing? Awe inspiring? It was fabulous, we didn't even want to stop and eat lunch, we inhaled our sandwiches so we could run back in and feast our eyes!  Of course I forgot my camera.  The vendors were a lot of fun to look at too, and the best part about visiting the vendors was that I could bring a little bit home with me! The bag was made by women in Madagascar, gorgeous - it was so hard choosing just one! 3 in our group of 5 each purchased one.  The template was intriguing, I have a few projects in mind for that!  The glue is actually a business necessity, and the fabric? Well, I was actually very good - I went home with the least amount of fabric in our group!  Both bundles of fat quarters were such a good price and just so irresistible!!

On Sunday, the last day of the quilt festival, my dh suggested we go!! Obviously he is campaigning for husband of the year, and doing a pretty good job, too!  We had ribs slow cooking in the oven so we could only go for a few hours, but it was wonderful.  There were less people so it was much easier to see the quilts and wearables and to take it all in.  I was able to see a few demonstrations, which sold me on the cans of 505 and 606, which I will offer my opinion once I get a chance to try them.  I have quilts in mind for the two large parcels of fabric, they are both backings, 2 yards by 108".  In terms of tallying up Stash Count In will be adding about 9 1/2 yards, not bad considering most of it is backings.  Fun, Fun, Fun!  Happy Quilting!

Pastel Lucky Stars

I sewed down the binding, sewed on the buttons to the wall hanging and finished the snap bag yesterday morning, all in plenty of time to bring it to today's guild meeting for show and tell.  Tomorrow I will mail it to Milan, Italy, where my husband's cousin resides with her husband.  She is due March 1st, and I hope baby is patient until the quilt arrives!  It's kind of neat how things work out(sometimes)I orignially bought this in 2006 as a kit from my favorite quilt store, Quilt Corner, for a neighbor who was expecting.  But then I heard her tell another neighbor that since she was having a boy, her entire color scheme was going to be blue and white . . . Oooops!  When I asked my cousin which colors she would like the quilt to be, I was sooooo thrilled when she said yellow and green!  I had forgotten about the kit until last March when I cleaned up/redecorated my quilt studio!  7 1/2 yds of fabric GONE! I used it all except a tiny strip left from the background and bits and pieces from the backing.  I used the snippits from the half square triangles to make pinwheels to make the wall hanging and the label.  I haven't written in the label yet, I am waiting for input from my DH.

The buttons I used on the wallhanging are so sweet!  I bought them over 25 years ago when I used to knit a lot of baby sweaters.  They are perfect as there are ducks in one of the fabrics.  I guess it pays to be a pack rat ;D  Today was my lucky day overall - I won the blocks for the block of the month, which I am so thrilled about, I just LOVE them.  I also won a drawing for a fat quarter!  I should go buy a lottery ticket! Happy Quilting!