Seasons of the heart

I hope you can see what I see in this picture. About a week ago, a friend was visiting and I stood at the door as the car pulled away. I had to run and grab my camera to take a picture of what was left. Somehow, cars pulling in and out left two hearts side by side carved in the snow. Don't you just love it. If I hadn't already decorated the house for February I would have seen that as a sign to get busy setting up for this season of hearts.

Come inside and view the house that just finished with Christmas and is now ready to celebrate the sweetest holiday. When I was teaching, it always amazed me how many holidays are in the short month of February - Black History Month, President's Day, Groundhog Day as well as Valentine's Day.

This funky heart hangs very prominently on the mantel.  It will stay long past Valentine's Day.

I hope you can look closely and see the mini garlands that hang in each pane. I was very pleased with the way I found a way to hang them. The window hangs year round to keep spring alive.

And you can't forget the bows as well as things to hang from the shutters.

The tier with multiple hearts and a red felt tree and the mini-calendar needs to be changed for February. It was too cute to pass up on etsy. The snowman is filled with coarse salt. He can be refilled through his nose. Very accommodating.

And finally the year-round tree. I think I got the hearts on it just in time. Soon it will change to St. Patrick's/Easter/Spring tree. This tree appeared and stayed the first year I bought it. I couldn't take it down since there was no where to store it.

I hope  you have the sweetest month!

Something new to try

Happy February! I heard someone mention today that it was fff - First Friday in February. So happy fff to everyone. Finding it a little hard to believe it is February already but it sure feels like winter outside today. About 27 degrees and very windy, which makes it even worse. It was good to get home tonight and be in the warmth. Snow may be coming tomorrow night but not sure how much.

Now for the new thing to try - a month or two ago I was contacted by a rep from Fons and Porter. He sent me an ebook to look at and also share with others. It contains some great patterns to try and I haven't had the chance to actually try the patterns but want to share with you. They do look really good.
You can get the book at this link. Log Cabin Quilts. I would love to hear back if you try any of the patterns and I'm sure they would like to hear back from you too. I love Log Cabin quilts and do look forward to trying these patterns.

Happy February. It is a short month so hope you get to some serious quilting. 

I'm back with another challenge...

The Good Enough Quilters met again this week and after eating some pizza got to work on our latest challenge. This time we tried to 1/2 yard challenge. Each of us chose 5 unique half-yards so you know there will be differences right off the bat.

We were lucky to have large tables and space where we could spread out and work. And help each other figure out the right way to hold the ruler and make triangles. Once you get the hang of it, it is easy! Once the fabric is cut, the fun begins. You have rectangles and triangles to fit together like a puzzle. This was a challenge even with big tables. Some with better knees got down on the floor to put theirs together. Below is the start of Dru's pattern.

Not everyone had the time to get their pieces fit together but we had a good time regardless. We put a time limit on bringing a completed project to our meeting. Maybe March, maybe April...

This is Fran's pattern. She had the foresight to push two tables together to give herself more room. I think she gets the prize for working the fastest which was helpful to those of us who wanted/needed advice with our cutting.

No surprise that mine had lots of bright colors in it. I know this won't be the finished product since I had lots of pieces left! I stood in my closet trying to pick out the fabrics I wanted. Reminded me of getting dressed some mornings.

I just love the colors in Peggy's fabric. She worked on the floor to get the most space. We did find it to be a most interesting process to try and fit them all in.

Cindy did a great job matching the colors in her focus fabric. I really can't wait to see all of these with designs completed.

Lynn chose the colors of Provence and was really happy these fabrics were all in her stash and except for the print, they were all 1/2 yards, just the right amount.
If you want to try this yourself, you can connect to this link Half-yard challenge which gives directions for cutting. If you google half-yard challenge, you will find many other examples complete with pictures.

Lucky for us, we were not without one share for the night. I love this wall hanging that Dru shared with us. Perfect for the coming month of February.

I'll be back soon with a link to a quilt pattern book that I was asked to share. And soon time for closet cleaning. I feel a giveaway coming soon!

Happy Quilting, everyone.

The children are nestled...

All snug in their beds. And it is almost time for Christmas. I hope that everyone has a wonderful holiday. Enjoy the magic of the season, count your blessings and hug your lived ones.

Merry Christmas to all and best wishes for the coming year!

Quilt Alliance Quilts

Okay, so I woke up early this morning and since I can't get back to sleep, this seems like the best time to get back to posting. And I really wanted to share with you the Quilt Alliance Quilt that I bid on and won!

My quilt is by Gayle Simpson from Thousand Oaks, CA and Coeur d'Alene, ID. It is just the coolest quilt and had some special things on it that I didn't even see when I was bidding on it. A pleasant surprise for sure.

This one was called "All Homes Need Quilts" and has her special vintage chairs in the design.
Wonderful applique.

There are lace curtains at the windows too.

And I wish my picture was a little clearer but the stitching in the window boxes look like flowers!

And the best is the sewing machine in the upstairs window. Perfect! You can see more of Gayle's work on her website at Gayle Simpson Some pretty amazing work.

Now you can try for a quilt of your own by going to Quilt Alliance Quilts  They are all so unique and hard to resist. One of the quilts is over $1,000!

A good night...

The Good Enough Quilters met this week and I really enjoyed sharing my finishes. I usually am admiring everyone else's but thanks to my quilter I have three Christmas gifts ready to go. 

My first share was the top for a baby quilt I made. I re-used a pattern I used before. I love the pattern and the bright colors in this one. I have to quilt it now and have it ready by January.

This is gift number one. It is a hundred wishes quilt with 100 different squares of fabric. I love the backing on this one too. And the quilting that Ruth did for me. She is a master.

Below is quilt number 2. I think I may have shared this before but not upright. And I'm just so thrilled to have it finished!

The companion quilt which is also another gift. Aren't these fabric colors wonderful?

We met at my house and everyone just had to admire the great apple quilt that Lynn had given me when I retired. Don't you love it!

Cindy was sharing and asking for advice. This is a wonderful and very colorful batik quilt she made but can't decide how to finish. Everyone had an opinion and we were pretty much in agreement on the choice. Can't wait to see it really finished.

Laura shared her baby quilt top. The six flowers are appliqued and the edge is ruffled. So cute and girly!

This was Laura's other share. It is a huge bed quilt and oh so pretty. We almost didn't have room to share it.

Lynn's finish was her daughter's graduation quilt. We all loved the colors in the quilt and even though you can't see it, the straight line quilting she used is perfect. Vanessa is one lucky girl!

I really enjoyed having things to share. Hope this puts me on a roll!

Pick up a quilt and some fabric too.

I was only going to the quilt shop to pick up my finished quilt. And you know what that means! But first the quilt. 

Here it is. I love the bright colors and the best thing is now it is finished.

I tried a close up to show the quilting. Ruth, my quilter, did a wonderful wave throughout the quilt. It looks great.

This is the back of the quilt. Two views. When I made the backing, there wasn't enough of the fabric but then I just used some stash fabric. I'm so proud!

When I have it quilted, I also have her do the binding. She has a wonderful binding that she does with piping added. I tried to show you a close up of that so I hope you can see it.

And my true confession, here is the fabric I encountered as I walked in the door. How do you say, product placement. Just loved the individual "seed" packets, all related to sewing.

And these fat quarters are part of the line. See the tape measure. Wonder what I will do with this? The line is called Tidings of Great Joy for Quilting Treasures. Not sure how that fits. Maybe when you have a finish...

Now, heading back to work on the baby quilt for this weekend. Pressure!!