I am such a Baaaaad Blogger!

I cannot believe so much time has passed since I have posted here!  Halloween, Thanksgiving, my son's 22nd birthday, my husband's 52nd birthday, my daughter's graduation with her Master's degree and her move to Florida, Christmas, New Years....how have so many life events come and gone so quickly??????  I'm going to use all of the above as my "no blog" excuse - and that's my story and I'm sticking to it!

So, even with all these important events that have just occurred, I have still been sewing!  How else does a girl stay "sane" if you don't have an opportunity to relax and zone out from life's daily stresses by quilting?  What have I been working on???? Well, there is this lovely mystery quilt that was shared by the wonderful Bonnie Hunter over at Quiltville, called "Double Delight".  I just love the way this quilt turned out.  If you haven't ever made one of Bonnie's quilts or followed one of her mysteries - you really should!  It is great fun!

What else have I been working on?  This little Friendship Star quilt was made as a birthday gift for my friend Tammy.  She is a childhood friend that I reconnected with a few years ago, and we are both celebrating the big Five-OH in this MONTH!  My Oh My!  

One of my quilting resolutions for the New Year is to quilt "green" as much as I can in 2009.  I love scrap quilts, and I really love making them with total disregard to where any particular color is going to fall in the quilt.  To me, that is what makes a scrap quilt fun.  I save all my scraps that are at least 2" square, and I beg my dear friend Sherri for her scraps.  I am always so happy when I receive some of Sherri's leftovers, because I just can't seem to deplete my scrap pile, no matter how many scrap quilts I make.  So thankfully, Sherri's scraps provide me with some welcome NEW colors to add to the mix.  I am currently working on a New York Beauty, which is one of those quilts on my bucket list....here is my progress so far.

Glad to be back to blogging a little, and will try and be a better blogger in 2009! Happy Belated New Years everyone....and
Happy Valentines Day too!

Blissfest Nielson Auction

If you are a wife, or a mom, or a sister, or a daughter....I encourage you to go over to this site, Blissfest Nielson Auction and watch the video and/or read about Stephanie and Christian Nielson. Stephanie has been a popular blogger for a long time at the NieNieDialogues. She and her husband Christian are parents to four small children. In August, Stephanie and Christian were in an airplane crash, which has left them both severely burned. Stephanie is still in a medically induced coma as the doctors continue to treat her wounds. Please go read about them, look at all the goodies being offered for auction to benefit their family...and especially look at the "Leaf Sampler Quilt" that I donated....and BID on it!!!!

Star BOTM, Block 5

 Another pretty block!  If you aren't following along with Judy Laquidara's Star BOTM quilt, it's not too late to jump in and catch up.  She gives really good directions and diagrams.  She posts directions for a new block every two weeks.  It's fun to see all the different color choices made by the various quilters who are participating.  Fun stuff - really!!!  This is Block 5, and also a picture of the first 5 blocks together.

Scrap-Tastic

I wonder what it is about scrap quilts that speak to me so strongly?  Maybe it's the old-fashioned idea of using the fabric on hand, maybe it's the way all those random fabrics blend together beautifully, maybe it's just that it appeals to my thrifty side...I'm not sure of the reason, but I definitely would rather make a scrappy quilt than any other kind!  I have been working on  this quilt for about two weeks now.  It is part of the Stash Pot Pie Series, and it's called Tennessee Waltz.  The directions called for slightly smaller blocks (2" pieces for the 4 patch blocks); I used 2 1/2 inch pieces for my 4 patch blocks...mainly because I already had a bunch of them made!  This quilt is really big (85" x 109") so I won't be putting any additional borders on it.  I love the way that every seam in this quilt is straight, but it gives the optical illusion of curves...

Pumpkin Love

Ever since I was a little girl - I have loved pumpkins! I love anything pumpkin flavored (although pumpkin pie absolutely rules), I love the color of pumpkins, I love the smell of pumpkins, I even love the feel of a pumpkin, smooth and cool to the touch. Driving home from work this week, I see the first of the "Pumpkin Patches" along the side of the road, ready for the kids to come and pick the perfect pumpkin for carving. With both my kids grown, I really do miss pumpkin carving! Maybe I will just have to carve my own pumpkin this year...

So, in honor of Pumpkin Season, I thought I'd post pictures of my pumpkin quilts!