Proposal Moon

The moon looked like this the night he proposed to me...

...and this is 'Proposal Moon.'

The back with the moon in another phase for the next phase of our lives together.

Buzz and Jake...that's us.

The quilting...perfection. This was all Angela. I know she's proud of it and I'm in love with it. I'll let her tell you about her quilting.

"When I talk about working with Jacquie, the first thing I gush about is the collaboration we have. We trust each other's vision for the quilt and we are willing to move outside our comfort zones. Since the first time we worked together, we have pushed each other further and further with amazing results.

Proposal Moon was no different. This amazing quilt had such an awesome story, I wanted it to be perfect. Jacquie isn't afraid of giving me suggestions or letting me know what direction she wants the quilting to go. For this quilt, she thought large concentric circles overlapping the moons would be great. Then she left the rest up to me. She pointed me in a direction, and I ran with it.

First I pulled out the orange thread. I knew it would be perfect for the moons. Once those were finished, I had to decide what to do with the rest of the quilt. I decided to keep with the circular theme, and I repeated it throughout the quilt.

I quilted medium sized circles in the strip below the moons. I wanted them to blend in so they didn't compete with the ones above. Pebble quilting helped make them pop. The back view of the medium sized circles is fantastic. They went right through the name Buzz. I didn't plan it, and I didn't notice it until I took the quilt off my machine. It was a happy coincidence!

Moving down the quilt, I quilted the final strip with even smaller circles that were more like large pebbles. They stretch across the quilt and help break up the pebble quilting.

Sometimes in life things turn out far better than you could ever expect. This quilt is a testament to our creative partnership and will hopefully bring joy to her family for generations to come.

Thanks so much Jacquie for being a motivator, teacher, customer, and most importantly, a friend."

I'm lucky to have her, don't you think?

Feast your eyes on her quilting.

Love in a quilt...what's better than that?

I've Got A Secret...and now you know it too!

Some of you perceptive bloggy friends have noticed that the quilt production in the studio has dropped dramatically lately. Stacks of fabric have been turning into quilts, just not ones that I could show you. Well, I have a good reason and today I get to tell you.

Turns out that a couple of publishers got the idea that my work might make a good quilting book. Honestly, I couldn't wrap my head around that concept. I wasn't ready. Then in December the phone rang...and on the other end, a blog friend with an idea. To make a long story short, we took, as she so aptly puts it, "a leap of faith." We finally met in person last April, and turns out we are two creative, improvisational, process-focused peas in a pod.

I'm so happy that I can shout it from the rooftops that I'm writing a modern improvisational quilting book with the fabulously talented Katie, the woman behind Sew Katie Did. I can't even tell you how wonderful it is to collaborate with someone like Katie. I'm learning so much from her and she puts up with me. We’re working with Interweave Press, you know the fabulous folks that publish Stitch, Quilting Arts, and Studios magazines. We’re thrilled to be working with them. The book will be a little bit traditional, a lot modern, and a bunch improvisational. It’s going to be quite a journey, we hope you’ll come along and be with us in the end.

4VENZB8Q2YXE

'You've Got Your Health'

Those words mean much to folks whose loved ones are ill and fighting to get and stay healthy. My friend Katie, of See Katie Sew knows all about those words. Her hubby John has been battling lymphoma and Katie has been fighting right along side him. I've admired her work for a long time, but more importantly, I've admired her courage and how she has openly shared both the ups and downs of John's illness.
Katie has made this quilt to help raise money for the "Light the Night' walk for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society. She's having a giveaway on her blog to support her team raising money for this event. Crosses for a Cause would be a great name for this quilt...and don't you love that orange back!
So, for Fitness Friday this week, if you've got your health, help someone who doesn't and check out Katie's giveaway. Let's be part of her team!

From Out of the Baby Box...

I've saved everything my boys have ever made for me, along with every news article, music program, note from the teacher, report card, etc. It started as a 'baby box' filled with little things. Then there were baby BOXES and now it's the baby box storage room. My 21 year old is still giving me things to put in his 'baby box.' How big does he think that box is? Nevertheless, our kids' creations are our treasures. I need to do some editing, but instead I decided to add to the collection.

I took some time out today to translate one of those little treasures into fabric. Somehow, making something that relates to my family lessens the stress of the day. This made me smile too. I think I'm going to make a pair of Christmas potholders. Each time I use them I'll think of my boys.

I love how the arms come right out of Santa's ears. Cute, don't ya think?

Peace and Comfort...The American Red Cross

I finally had a chance to get pictures of the Peace and Comfort quilt. It's my tribute to the American Red Cross. I'll let the pictures and Angela's quilting speak for themselves.

Fitness Friday

I've been a bit lame on my Fitness Friday posts...I guess it's better to be working out than sitting on the computer. I have to thank Glen who left a comment a couple of weeks ago about his 12 mile bike ride. It sparked an idea that maybe the bike would be a good thing for me too. I never ride out here (gravel roads are the pits for bike riding!) A little light bulb popped in my head that maybe I could ride our trails. Well, I tried it and it's great! Thanks Glen!

I've been thinking about why I'm doing this...what's my target? I don't think I have an ideal weight or a specific goal except developing a habit. I want exercise to be a permanent part of my life.
How are you doing?

Studio Reorganization...Again

My studio space and my fabric seems to be in a constant state of reorganization. I did some late night rearranging and cleaning. (There seems to be a late night activity theme on the blog lately.) I'm glad I'm not the only one who does the late night/wee hours of the morning thing. My friend Amandajean of Crazy Mom Quilts, let me know that she does the same thing.

I tackled my solids. They were on the lower shelves of my fabric tower and hard to get to. Now they are on their own shelves and very accessible.

I used these containers I got a couple of years ago at Target. I love when students go back to school and all the new storage ideas appear in stores. The great thing about these is that I can simply grab the whole box and bring it to my cutting table. I set it on the bottom and then the fabrics are easy to grab and put away.
I also tackled my quilt closet. I had an extra curtain rod hanging around so I put it to good use. I love to hang my projects. Keeps them from getting wrinkled and stuffed like lumps into boxes. Pants hangars are fabulous for hanging projects.
I'm an "everything goes into a container" kinda gal. I organized and started to get these baskets labeled. It makes it easier for my feeble brain to remember what I've put where.
I got all the quilts in progress hung and ready to be tackled when I can get to them.
Now all I have to do is get to them.

Late Night Spooling Around

I couldn't sleep last night, so I made a few more of these. I'm up to 23 spools. I think it may be time to put it together. It's planned for a space in my studio...it can't get much bigger or it won't fit.
I was inspired by a little gift from Nichole. She sent me this great pack of selvages and they just happened to be sorted by color, so I went after it. Thanks Nichole!!

Now, back to business.

It's All About Jon

Sorry Ben, this one is all about Jon. This quilt was inspired by a drawing that my youngest son, Jon did for me. I think he was about 10. I gave that drawing to my Sew Connected Bee buddies as inspiration. They came through with flying colors!

I played with negative space in this quilt. It wasn't easy to put together....lots of set in seams in this one, but it was worth it.
Angela quilted it for me and again that girl is a genius. We talked through some ideas and she took it from there. Can you see the design that is throughout the negative space?
Love this little detail.
Inspired!
My only struggle with this quilt is what to call it. In my world, all quilts need names. Ideas?

For those who asked, the solids in this quilt are Kona snow, espresso brown, and ice frappe.

B is for...

BIRTHDAY: Yesterday was my birthday. Another year older, wiser, and definitely more hip.
BUDDIES: I spoke at my guild last night, the fabulous Kansas City Modern Quilt Guild and they celebrated with me, cupcakes, singing and quilty friends. It doesn't get much better than that. I got handmade gifts...it's funny how much I love the handmade and I never get anything like that. It's great to have friends who sew!

BLOG: I was thinking last night how this blog has been such a wonderful addition to my life. I appreciate all of you who come to visit and are a part of it with me.

BOYS: The three guys in my life, my two sons and my wonderful hubby. Life is rich because of all of you.

BLESSINGS: These are too many to list or to count. Each day is a blessing.

and finally B is for BINDINGS: of which I still need to do.

Work My Fingers to The Bone

Tomorrow is a big day for me. I'm speaking at my guild...I'd sure like to have these quilts bound and ready to show and talk about and I'd love to show them to you too. For now, just a peek. I'm pretty proud of all of them.
I have less than 36 hours to bind four BIG quilts. I will be working my fingers to the bone to get them done.

While you're waiting for me to finish, you might want to check out Heather's blog later today. She's starting a quilt-as-you-go quilt-a-long. I've never done the quilt-as-you-go thing, but it might be just the ticket for you.

Wish me luck. I'm going to need it.

Inspiration of Everyday Things

"Where do you find inspiration?" is a question I get often. Today I spent a little time looking closely at the things around me. There is an abundance of inspiration in simple, everyday things. Inspiring color, lines, shapes, and even ideas.

It's tough to be inspired if you're not looking.







What inspires you?

Orange Crush Revisited

I do actually finish things.
This is a remake of the 'Orange Crush' quilt I sold. I've missed it. I wanted one of my very own. It so fits with my orange sectional.

Said goodbye to my youngest yesterday. He's back in St. Paul ready for the fall semester.

Excuse me while I brag. He's a fabulous musician, composer, arranger, music producer...Quincy Jones in the making.

He's a DJ too...he's got a BIG gig in a Minneapolis club tonight.

You're going to rock the house, J.

(Pictures by Jon's friend Baylee Bishop , a soon to be famous photographer!)

Miss you already!