Sister's Choice Quilts

So Many Bindings. So Little Time

"You are not leaving this house until you finish your chores".  Remember Mom saying that?  Or versions there of.  "You are grounded until your room is totally straightened up".  "I do not want one more word out of you until that homework is done".

I need a Mom to tell me "You will not do one more thing until the bindings are sewn on those quilts!"

There are four quilts piled on my family room couch right now, and they are staying there until I get the bindings stitched down.  I have two more unbound quilts in the closet, but they are Fall and Halloween themed, so I decided to cut myself a break with those.  So, four quilts to bind.  And tie offs to finish on my blended quilt.  The quilts you see above were all completed during the past year.  They are from left to right:  Blended Neutrals, Provence Baskets, Jelly Bellies, and Foklorique.  The quilt peeking out on the bottom, Amadeus, is actually bound, thank goodness.

I tell you, it is a shame.  These quilts could be on a bed or on the back of a chair, being used by someone who wants to snuggle. 

Better get to work.....

New Dishes

Company's coming!  The next three weekends I will be cooking and entertaining friends and relatives; my second favorite thing in the entire world to do.  Some of you who have gotten to know me are aware that I like to collect things:  shoes, fabric, and cookbooks.  Well, I also love to collect dishes!  I found this Villeroy and Boch pattern called Audun for 50% off at Macy's.  Of course Macy's had nothing in stock for me to make the combination of patterns I wanted.  I got creative and went to a local china shop and told them I was interested in buying the dishes, but since their price was only 25% off, I guessed I would go on back to Macy's.  In these days' economy, those folks were not about to let me out of their shop without making a purchase.  They quickly agreed to meet Macy's price, and before you know it, the trunk of my car was full of new dishes!  It pays to bargain these days I guess.

What I like about this pattern is that it is sophisticated and elegant, but casual at the same time.  The dinner plate even looks kind of modern all by itself, with the black and white geometric design.

Of course, I then completely lost my mind and had to purchase black place mats, and yellow and black napkins.  I polished up my silver pitcher and filled it with yellow roses and think things are just about perfect.  Oh, Oh, Wait!  Wouldn't clear wine glasses with thin black stems be awesome?  Stop me someone, please....

The tea cup isn't part of the set.  By total coincidence, when we had the tea cup exchange at our Mother's Day Tea at Sara's house, this is the teacup I got!  It is from Anthropologie, last year, according to my sister Andrea who bought it.  How perfect is that with my new yellow dishes?  Aren' the little blue birds adorable?

I had fun digging out some other accessories and plants that tie in with my new color theme.

Tie Off Needles

Several of you have inquired about the "tie off" needles I mentioned in my last post.  Here is a photo of the special needles I got for doing the tie offs on my blended neutrals quilt.  You don't have to thread them in the normal manner.  You just kind of hook your thread around the eye.   For anyone over the age of 40, this is a very good thing!

Ozzie is a bit bored today, and refuses to get off my husband's favorite chair.  Life is tough isn't it?  Just wait.  We have dog training class at 2:00 today.  That will wake him up.  Heh, heh, heh.  (Evil laugh).

Blended Neutrals Quilt

I got my Blended Neutrals quilt back from my quilter (Debbie at Prairiequeens) this week!  She did a custom job for me and is it ever gorgeous.  The quilting makes the quilt, as they always say.  Here is a close up of one of the blocks.  My photography does not do it justice, but you can get an idea of some of the detail.  Very "heirloom"  if I do say so!  Thank you Debbie.  This is a treasure.

The deal with this custom quilting job is that I have to take care of something called "tie offs" myself.  Marie at the shop gave me a quick tutorial.  What you have to do is find all the trailing threads, knot them securely and bury the knot within the quilt.   Marie gave some special needles that you can just hook the thread through, so there is no tedious threading process.  With my old eyes, that is a great benefit!

I hope to get the tie offs done and the binding on by this weekend.  The next three weekends we are having house guests and/or dinner parties.  And I want to show this new quilt off!!!

Web Sampler Alternate Blocks

I have been plugging away at my Web Sampler Challenge.  In the photo above you see some of the blocks with the alternate blocks called for in the setting I chose.  The construction of the alternate blocks was totally easy, and would have been considerably more so if the instructions had suggested speedier piecing methods, such as making all ten of the red and tan four patches at once, all ten of the black and tan four patches at once etc.  It would have been such an easy thing to include, but no.  There were instructions to make six blocks as shown.  Period.  I have felt all along with this project that I am kind of on my own when it comes to figuring out the best construction methods.  I know, grumble grumble.

On a very much happier note, Sunday my daughter Sara hosted all the special women in her life with a Mother's Day Tea and Tea Cup Exchange. The party was held in the garden of their new cottage, and we were surrounded by the most lovely assortment of flowers you have ever seen.  There was a bit of a mishap in that I forgot my camera.  How incredibly dumb of me.  I had it right there on the counter and in the flurry of packing up cucumber sandwiches and cake plates I left it behind.  Sara took some wonderful shots of the food and the garden, so if I can download them from her, I will share them.  Or, take a look at her blog where she has some you can see!

Hope everyone had a lovely Mother's Day!

Web Sampler, Resurrected

Confession time.  I was getting quite frustrated with the Web Sampler Challenge and closed up my project box and put it away.  I was even considering dropping out of the Challenge I am doing with Perry, Cindy, Carol, and Lisa.  Let me tell you why, and what happened to make me pick it up again.

I made my first block before going on the retreat in April.  All the blocks were cut out and ready for me to sew.  My plan was to make a big dent in the sewing while up at San Damiano with my friends.  Two things got in the way of that plan.  I got sick (with the 24 hour flu) and could barely make it out of my bed, much less do any sewing.  Also, these sampler blocks take a LOT of concentration.  There are tons of itty bitty pieces labled from A to Z and it is so easy to get fabrics mixed up if you get the slightest bit distracted.  While at the retreat I attempted to start on block number two, and made such a mess of it, I had to throw it away!  My fault entirely.  I just could not give this project the full concentration it needs.

Part of the problem was that it was difficult to focus while in the midst of happy conversational friends.  The other issue was (and I apologize to the pattern designer, Paula Barnes, for what I am about to say):  the instructions are not that great.  The blocks are gorgeous, don't get me wrong.  However, I have discovered several editing issues that if clarified or corrected would make things ever so much easier.  The A/E, J/H, C/E instructions are confusing, the pressing directions are inconsistent (some times mentioned, other times ignored), and the number of units to make is sometimes mentioned and other times not.  With one of the blocks, I ended up with four left over flying geese units.  I thought I must have screwed up, but Lisa said the same thing happened to her.  I have to say that is a bit sloppy.

Thank goodness for the color copies of what the finished block is supposed to look like that were provided by Common Threads (Block 6) and Back Door Quilts (Block 7).  If all the shops had done that it would have been so helpful.  In one case I accidently got the color placement wrong (Block 2, my problem child).  I could have referred to the web page that shows all the blocks in color, but it just wasn't as convenient as having a color picture right there with the pattern.

Maybe I shouldn't be so quick to blame the pattern instructions for my foul ups, but I just have to say that I have had many more goofs and errors with these block patterns than others I have used.  But, after all, it is supposed to be a "Challenge", right?  It has been for me!!

I have been feeling tremendously guilty, having committed to this project and to regular postings.  Some of the other women have completed all their blocks alreay.  I do love the fabric, and I am happy with the finishing kit I chose.  So, what could I do to recharge my interest in the project?

Today I took the box out and opened it up.  I mentally forced myself to at least make one block.  As I started to sew, I groaned to myself at the number of tiny half square triangles to be made for each block.  The instructions said to draw a line diagonally on a gazillion two inch squares.  What?  I wanted to SEW, not fiddle around with a pencil and a ruler. 

Then, I had an Ah Ha! moment.  Remember me posting a while back on a tool called the Angler 2?  ( I posted on it on Aug. 30, 2007). This little gizmo changed everything for me.  I taped it place on the throat bed of my sewing machine and started stitching away.  With the Angler 2, you line your stitching up with clearly marked guide lines, and you do not have to draw any darn lines! 

I finished three blocks in about two hours and I love them!  I'm back in the groove girls!

So what's the message?  Don't give up.  Find a way to do it smarter.

Strip Quilt

Over the weekend, I made some progress on my Strip Quilt, using the Jocelyn fabrics by Sentimental Studios for Moda.  There are two blocks in the quilt, a "flower block" shown above and a chain block made up of green, white and yellow.  There are two units within the flower block.  One is a simple four patch made in different combinations of colors:  yellow and green in the center, green and white and yellow and white for the corners (this will form a chain).

The other unit is this one:

It is constructed by sewing squares onto the corners of colored strip units.  I used two color ways, pinks and purples.  This pattern is a wonderful way to use up fabric in your stash.  You could use all florals or add in a coordinating tone on tone as I have done.  The pattern called Kitty Kitty is available on line from Cozy Quilt Designs.  You could easily make it from jelly rolls since the strips are all 2 1/2 inches wide.  Or, dig into your stash and come up with your own fabric combinations.

Two Color Quilts

Go have a look at the fabrics a couple of the gals are using for their two color quilt projects.  Yummy, yummy.  By the way, a couple of people have inquired if the two color project can be something other than a bed quilt.  Of course!  Anything goes.  Pillows, tote bags, table toppers, table runners--whatever your heart desires and your imagination comes up with.  If you don't have a blog, but want to play along, just send me a photo of your progress from time to time and I will post it on my blog.  Let's go wild! 

Check my side bar for links to those people who are playing along who do have blogs--even if you catch them on a day when they are not talking about the two color quilt challenge, you will be inspired and entertained by what they are up to, I promise.

Susan is going with red and white, and incorporating some red work embroidery.  This is going to be stunning!  I cannot wait to see what pattern she uses.

Andrea has some sweet and soft light blues and creams for her version.

I made progress yesterday with the center sections of my Union Square blocks.  It was fun to fussy cut the toile to feature some of the motifs.

Oh No. Not Again.

He did it again.  I have never heard of a dog who hates irons as much as my Ozzie does.  What is this?  The third or fourth iron he has executed?  This was my extra back up iron that I bought for the retreat.  Luckily I didn't spend too much on it and it wasn't the greatest iron anyway.  But still.  He doesn't even look sorry.

Do you think I would be a bit better about remembering to keep the door to the sewing room closed?  Honestly.  Have I mentioned lately, that I ADORE this dog, despite his occasional naughtiness?

Two Color Quilt Challenge

On the sewing front, I have decided to make my Two Color Quilt Challenge quilt in red and white, using the Union Square block.  The quilt top only has nine blocks set on the diagonal, so I will have plenty of half square triangles left over to make a small Lady of the Lake quilt as well, if I am not sick of red and white when I finish this one.  The pattern I am using is from a Joan Hansen/ Mary Hickey book called The Simple Joys of Quilting, and the pattern is called Red Union Square.

A few of you said you would like to make a two color quilt along with me, which I think would be super fun.  Susan from Blackberry Creek, Erica from Polka Dot Quilts, Jane from  Sew Create It, Julia from Scrap Happy Quilter, and Patti from  Quilting is My Passion all said they would like to join in.  So, I guess we need some rules for the Two Color Quilt Challenge.  How about if we set a deadline of August 1?  And how about if we post on our progress a minimum of at least four times:  this week or next week (to show our fabrics and describe the project), June 1, July 1, and August 1?  If participants want to post more frequently, I say Go For It!  When we post, we need to link to the other participants' blog sites so folks can check out everyones two color quilt project.  On my side bar, I have created links to the other participant's blog sites, so check up on them often to see how they are doing.  If you want to join in the Challenge and I haven't listed you, be sure to let me know and I will add you in.

Two color quilts are so lovely.  I think we forget about doing them because the market is deluged with fabulous coordinated fabric groups, and we just go nuts and buy an entire line.  It takes patience and time to collect a variety of coordinating fabrics in one or two color ways.  The hunt for those perfect fabrics is the joy of quilting for me!  We get lazy when the fabric manufacturers do all the work for us.  Making a two color quilt is also a terrific way to use up fabric in your stash.  The reds and whites in my quilt were a great surprise when I opened a box and found a stash of already made half square trianges and a gorgeous collection of barn reds.  You just never know what you may have on hand and have forgotten all about!

If you would like a book on the subject of two color quilts, there is an excellent one by Nancy Martin called Two Color Quilts.  I believe it is out of print, but still available from some used book sellers through Amazon. Another book on two color quilts is also called Two Color Quilts by Better Homes and Gardens, also out of print. 

And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor

This little doll is Katy:  dancer, swimmer, artist, kindergartner and grandaughter of Perry.  Katy also has Cystic Fibrosis.  There is a raffle going on right now to raise money for research to find a cure for this presently incurable disease.  Your contribution would be so helpful to Katy and children like her.  Please go to Perry's website for links to Katy's story and the raffle.  The quilt being raffled was made by Cindy and is truly awesome.

Several people have inquired where they can get an ironing board cover with personality, like the one Lisa gave me.  Lisa provided me with this link:  http://www.homealamode.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=11  So go on, get one for yourself!

A few of you have said that you would be interested in working along with me on a two color quilt.  I will post more about that on Monday and we will see what we can get going!  As you can see, I have a couple of them in mind....

 

Strip Quilt

Last Saturday I attended a class at Prairiequeens called We Bee Strippin'.  I have always wanted to go to one of those classes where you start with a kit of perfectly cut 2 1/2 inch strips and make a mystery quilt project.  Do you remember back in March when I taught a class at Prairiequeens?  My student made a quilt out of a terrific fabric group called Jocelyn by Sentimental Studios for Moda.  When I heard that the mystery strip class would use this fabric group I signed up without hesitation.  Love those florals.

Prairiequeens has a very cool apparatus that cuts the fabric strips perfectly.  Have you ever seen one of these gizmos?  It is pretty fascinating to see it in action.   They can layer up the fabric and put it through the machine and out comes perfectly even strips for the  strip club classes.  The students buy the strip kits, and it saves them the cutting themselves.  You can turn up at class and just start sewing.

The class was only two hours long, which was plenty of time to get going on making the strip sets.  I finished them all, and now need to cut my units and construct the blocks.  There will be a pink and purple floral block and a yellow and green chain block.  I am going to stack my strips four deep and cut them.  How do you all cut your strip units?  Are you afraid to stack the strips?  Or do you layer them up and rotary cut away?

My Happy Ironing Board

Normally, I would not dream of sharing a glimpse of my laundry room with you.  It is pretty much a shambles with lingerie hanging everywhere, car washing towels waiting to be put away, baskets full of dirty clothes waiting to be washed, clean clothes waiting to be folded.  But here is something I am proud of.

When Lisa came to visit, she came bearing gifts.  Lots of generous gifts.  This cheerful ironing board cover being one of them.  Isn't it adorable?  Why on earth would anyone want a boring generic ironing board cover when there are covers like this available?  It makes me so happy just to walk by the open door and see it sitting there so perkily.

Here is another little someone she brought me.  Her name is Nettie.

Nettie was made by a talented woman named Nicole Ellison.  There is a funny story about the fabric Nettie's dress is made of.  Last summer when Lisa and I were shopping at the Buggy Barn in Reardan, Washington, I spied this fabulous fabric with a black background, rust floral design and pastoral sheep.  I was exclaiming how lucky I was to find this fabric and noticed that Lisa was being uncharacteristically silent. "What?" I asked.  "Don't you like it?"  Pause.   "Why would you want fabric with sheep butts on it?" replied Lisa.  Oh.  Well.  Yes, there was that.  "I don't care.  I am buying it!", I answered, thinking to myself:  "Don't hold back Lisa, tell me how you really feel about this ugly fabric."

Of course once I got it home, every time I brought out this fabric to audition it for a quilt or a border, I recalled our conversation and Lisa's reaction to the fabric.  The seed of doubt had been planted.  I ended up making napkins out of it and giving them to a dear friend in Carmel Valley.  I must say, I have never noticed her using the napkins.  Maybe she felt the same way about the sheep and their nether regions.  Perhaps not the best choice for something you use to blot your lips.

I can't remember how Lisa got hold of a piece of this fabric, but she did, and commissioned this Nettie doll to be made for me.  Isn't friendship wonderful?  It was such a funny moment when we were shopping, and now I will laugh in recollection every time I look at little Nettie.

Speaking of a certain friend, that being Lisa, today is her birthday!  Go on over to her blog and wish her the best!  She deserves it! 

Good Bye, My Friend

Sorry, life has gotten in the way of my blogging this week.  Sadly, a very dear friend passed away last week and my husband and I drove down to Los Angeles for his funeral.  Our friend was Carl Belfor, a man of so many talents and fine attributes that this post would go on until next week if I were to list them all.  One of his many skills was as a painter, and I am a very lucky woman to have one of his works.

Whether or not you believe in an afterlife, this is what I think about our friend:  He lived his life fully, mentored many people, was adored by hundreds of friends and colleagues, and never had a day where he didn't make others howl with laughter due to his amazing sense of humor.  He gave to others far more than he took.  He loved one and all with an open heart and he was loved back by all of us.  What else could you ask for?  You will be missed Carl.  You were taken from us way too soon.

Red and White Discovery

One of the activities planned for the Quilting Retreat was a UFO exchange.  We were all supposed to go through our UFO's and choose one to trade or give away while up at the retreat.  The theory being one person's garbage is another person's treasure and all that.  So, in preparation for the exchange, I stood up on a chair to reach the very top shelf of my stash closet, and started to bring down plastic project boxes that contained long forgotten projects that had been begun, then abandoned.  Darn, I am good at that.

Believe me, I found plenty of material to give away or trade, but also found a couple of things that were seriously good.  How could I have forgotten all these red and white half square triangles that were *already made*????  Not pressed and trimmed, but totally sewn.  Hundreds of them.  Eureaka!  Now this was a discovery all right.

The only problem was, I have no recollection of what on earth my original intention was for these 2 1/2 inch half square triangles.  Well, no problem.  There are plenty more ideas where that came from.  I started going through my quilting books for inspiration and came up with a few ideas and made up a couple of blocks.  So what do you all think?  Lady Of The Lake or this other block, which I think is called Union Square.

I feel as if I have struck gold.  How could I have forgotten about these?  Never mind any cracks about too much white wine destroying my brain cells.  There was also quite a nice stash of barn reds and some toiles in the box.

Oh, by the way, take a look at this cool ruler I found in a shop with Lisa.  It is by Eleanor Burns and is called The Fussy Cut Ruler.  You buy the pack and it contains these rulers in three different sizes.  I show the 6 1/2 inch square above.  Pretty nifty for getting your design right smack in the center of the square, huh?

OK, back to my red and white quilt.  Finding this treasure trove of triangle squares has made me think how charming a two color quilt is.  Blue and white, red and white, green and white---you decide what color way you want to collect and go for it.  The result is an old fashioned, yet totally delightful quilt.  Half the fun is in the hunt for the perfect fabrics in your color choice.  Anyone out there up for a Two Color Quilt Challenge?  Your  choice of any two colors, your choice of any quilt block.  Come on, it could be fun.   Besides, I need encouragement to actually finish something!

The Rest of the Vacation

The rest of the time Lisa spent here with me in California is kind of a blur.  We were on the go every minute.  No, that isn't my home you see above, but a very cool bed and breakfast place called The Seven Gables Inn in Pacific Grove.  It is right across the street from the ocean and has spectacular views.  Can you imagine waking up in the morning, looking out the window and seeing this:

   

I tried to give her a whirl wind tour of my area, and we tried to spend no more than 10 minutes at any one spot so we could get it all in.  (Just kidding).   We went to the Inn at Spanish Bay for lunch on Monday.

We drank wine:

We ate:

And ate:

Life is short, so we had more dessert:

We shopped some more at The Back Porch in Pacific Grove, a great little shop, especially for batiks and Asian fabrics.  At the retreat I won over 30 batik fat quarters in shades of purple, blue and green!  I will tell you about the game we played in another post.  Any way, I was the winner, and we had to go to Back Porch to add to my batik collection.  Lisa, the copy cat, decided she has to make a batik quilt now too, and ended up with such a stack of orange and pink batiks you can barely see her there behind the fabric.

We spread our loot out on the bed to compare purchases.  Here are Lisa's orange and pink batiks.  Pretty yummy aren't they?

We also played with Ozzie, since he is a fellow who is pretty hard to ignore.  I took this picture as Lisa was clucking like a chicken to make him look at her.  Pretty cool visual, huh?

Despite her clucking, Lisa was the ideal house guest.  I highly recommend you inviting her over.  We had a marvelous time and now I think we need to start planning our NEXT get together!

Just a Little More Shopping

You know you want to see more shops, right?  I have saved the best for last.  The following photos are of Thimblecreek in Concord, CA, which Connie, Lisa and I went to on the way home from the retreat.  A lot of very famous designers got their start at Thimblecreek:  Joanna Figuera of Fig Tree, Sandy Klop of American Jane, Verna Mosquera, Laura Nownes (Quilts, Quilts, Quilts) and others.  Just wallow in these pictures for a bit.

Breath-taking applique work.

And for all you kitty cat fans:

Whew, that was fun.  Here is a snap of Connie, browsing.  She had the most amazing thing happen at the shop.  She found an antique wooden display box for a ribbon company that had her same last name!  She asked if the box was for sale, and it sure was.  It was absolutely the coolest find.

We shopped and shopped, but never did drop. 

The Retreat

There were eleven of us at the retreat this year.  We all thought it was a perfect number, but are willing to add in a few more people for next year, as we do have the space for another table or two.  Here you see Heather and Jeanette already at work on Saturday morning.  The fellow on the wall is St. Francis, whose room we were using.

We arrived on Friday, Lisa and I being considerably later than the others, due to our Private Shop Hop (and Friday afternoon commute traffic).  The first to arrive made a decision as to how the room should be set up, and by the time Lisa and I got there, everything was in place.  The gals were already sewing on some wonderful projects.  I'll share just a few of the things with you.

This is a Kaffe Fasset quilt Bette was working on.  The deep plummy background is perfect.

This is a sampler quilt Isabel worked on all last year.  She said the log cabin blocks were super boring, but she was steadfast, and finished them all.  This weekend she got the entire top sewn together.

Diana is an incredible piecer, and had a batik project on the wall that was breathtaking.  She started out with it laid out in a straight set, and we all bullied her into changing it to a diagonal set.  Spectacular.

Kate finished a lovely Asian fabric quilt done all in soft peachy colors.

Lisa was working on two different projects--one was her Web Sampler and the other was a quilt top she made out of a Simplicity Layer Cake.  The layer cake project consists of four huge star units constructed out of the ten inch squares that come in the layer cake package.  She trimmed them down and made half square triangles out of some to make the stars.  Four of them make an entire quilt top.  Slick.

The sewing machine you see above is mine.  You may notice that my project box is unopened.  Why?  Well, you just won't believe this, but I woke up Saturday morning with the 24 hour stomach flu and spent the better part of the day in my room sick as a dog.  Pretty cruel, don't you think?  I have nothing to show for the entire weekend.  Except that I did manage to lose four pounds.

The girls all went off on a field trip on Saturday, which included a stop at a wonderful local quilt shop called Quilter's Inn and a nice lunch at the Peasant and Pear in downtown Danville.  Here they are having fun at the table while they wait for lunch.  Darn.  I missed it all.

My friends all have a tendency to talk with their hands.  They also all talk at the exact same time.  You have to really concentrate to keep up.  Lisa looks like she is struggling hard to understand this foreign California language.

Our Own Private Shop Hop

I couldn't quite decide where to begin to tell you all about the past five wonderful days.  I thought and I thought, and decided to cut to the chase and tell you about the shops Lisa and I visited along the way up to the retreat at San Damiano.  In my shopping stupor, I forgot to get photos at most of the shops, but the pictures I did get are of some very cool display projects.

We stopped at a total of  11 quilt stores in five days.  They were, in order of our visit:  Prairiequeens, Eddie's Quilting Bee, The Granary, Natural Expressions, The Quilter's Studio, In Between Stitches, Quilter's Inn, Thimblecreek, Back Porch, Beverly's, and a little shop with just a sign saying "Quilt Shop" on our way to the airport on the last day.  We have enough inspiration to keep us making quilts for a very long time, and Lisa bought so much fabric she had to send a huge box weighing over 28 pounds home by UPS.  I will say that she did not mail home the gifts she had bought for her three kids.  Those, she carried on the plane, so she obviously has her priorities straight!

Here is a happy looking Lisa at Natural Expressions in Los Gatos.  She is smiling because she just bought eighteen yards of backing fabric for $2.00 a yard.

When we went into the door of the shop, I began to ooh and aah over some bolts of fabric and starting loading them into my arms.  Lisa looked at me and said, "Nicole, you already HAVE that group of fabric.  You just blogged about it recently!"  Oh.  I do?  I did?   All I can say is that it is a very good thing to have friends to keep my in check and from buying everything twice. 

Here is a display at In Between Stitches in Livermore.  It is made of that new Mary Englebreit fabric.  Pretty adorable isn't it?

And I totally swooned over this quilt.  They had kits at one time, but sold out.  I must do this quilt.  Have you ever seen anything more adorable?

Tomorrow I will tell you all about the retreat and the projects the other girls were working on.  Be prepared to be impressed!

Imaginary Friends, Together Again

Greetings friends!  Lisa and Nicole here......

This is Lisa.   After having a marvelous time at our quilt retreat, Nicole spent today showing me around her neck of the woods.  After a fun trip to Back Porch quilts, we had the most fabulous lunch at Roy's at Pebble Beach.   I couldn't convince Nicole to Photoshop 20 pounds off of me before posting this picture.  Something about Ozzie howling in the background.  Anyway, we have had a TON of fun.  I wish I didn't have to go home tomorrow, but I miss my kids and I don't think I can fit any more fabric in my suitcase....

Hey, it's Nicole now.  We are truly having a blast.  We are sitting here looking out at the Monterey Bay and sipping white wine.  I wish Lisa's visit could go on and on, but life always interferes, doesn't it?  It has been such fun to get together, sitting up late talking til all hours, eating yummy food, and sightseeing.  And just wait til we tell you about all the fabulous quilt shops where we shopped.  And bought, and bought, and bought.  Much more to come!

Gotta share the view: