Swirly Girls will be CRUISING again March 9-18, 2013

I never liked the TERM BUCKET LIST – but I do have a list – a regular TO DO LIST of things that I would like TO DO!  :)  Going on a quilt cruise is on my list.  Look at this one!  

The Swirly Girls – AKA Susan and Christine – will be teaching and enjoying a 9-night Eastern Caribbean Cruise –

to San Juan, Puerto Rico…..

St. Thomas……

Samana, Dominican Republic

and Labadee, Haiti.

Doesn’t this sound like fun?  SWIMMING IN CIRCLES……….

I am putting this on my DREAM AND THINK ABOUT LIST!!!!  It  really sounds like a great quilt cruise.  You can REGISTER ONLINE AT

www.quiltretreatatsea.com

SONOMA ROSE

You might even be able to catch Jennifer on her book tour!  What books have you read by Jennifer?

Jennifer's book tour schedule

Happy Reading!

Snow Angel

My ANGEL SNOWMAN quilt is finished…….AND….the label.  I originally named this the SNOWFLAKE Angel – but when I made the label, apparently I changed my mind. LOL.  This one has been on my UFO list for quite some time and I am happy to have it completed.  I wished that I had NOT put all of those pearls and BEADS on the quilt BEFORE I tried to quilt it…..but it is too late now…..chalk it up to experience.

I am also continuing to work on Judy Laquidara’s ROLLING ALONG QUILT that she is sharing with us! 

Rolling Along

The FREE MOTION QUILTING CHALLENGE FOR FEB is to make feathers.  My first attempt at FEATHERS was unremarkable……my feathers are pointy and do not look like feathers – so I am going to work on that this week!  What I LERNED was that it is good to read the instructions BEFORE you try to do something.  SIGH.  SO – I am not even going to call these feathers….these are pointed leaves!!!

Feathers - the Feb FMQ Challenge

Look at what these feathers are supposed to look like!  I need to do some work on this…..LOL.  I wonder what my feather example will look like NEXT WEEK!

Also on my design floor this week is the COLOR CHALLENGE for Feb. 2012.  Here is the inspiration photo.  I will be searching my stash for fabrics this week!

Feb. Color Challenge 2012

This will be a busy week – given the current state of my FEATHER QUILTING SKILLS!  LOL.

To see what other quilters are doing this week – check out Judy Laquidara’s Blog.

http://www.patchworktimes.com/2012/02/06/design-wall-monday-february-6-2012/

You might remember that,  in January,  ONE OF OUR MEMBERS (still nameless because I can keep a secret) caught her pants on the knob of a dresser at Susan’s house and tore a hole in her pants…….in case you forgot…….here is the picture that I so shamelessly took.

The HOLE IN Meeting ONE

After today, I am thinking that creating HOLES may be a common theme for this group – because this SAME PERSON (still to remain nameless)  that put a hole in her pants ran over (as in an automobile) Catherine’s bag that was sitting in the driveway…..and you guessed it….the car tore a hole in the bag!  No there was NOT a sewing machine inside.

The HOLE in Catherine's bag

Thankfully, this bag and the little baggie on the counter – shown below…….were the only things damaged!  We sure got a lot of giggles out of this……we all wonder what this mystery member has in store for us NEXT MONTH!

What is left of Catherine's little baggie!

OK –   so on with the rest of our BEE FUN!  First the roll call – Catherine and Cheryl.

Susan and her VERY COOL BOX that she bought for $1.00!!!!!

Me - sao - the photographer and KEEPER OF SECRETS!

There were some pretty precious FURRY PEEPS at our BEE too!

Spike LOVES quilty things!

Sassy - the QUEEN of the sewing castle!

Today Susan (one of the now FAMOUS SWIRLY GIRLS)  was not able to work on her applique project because her sewing machine needed some extra attention; however she did show us what she is going to do with her DON’T LOOK NOW PILLOW project.  Her applique tree started out to be a pillow but will now become a wall quilt after she discovered that the WONDERFUL little blocks that she was making made an FABULOUS outside border for the applique tree!

Susan's Applique Bee Project

So, given that she could NOT applique her tree and leaves down today, Susan worked on some VERY BEAUTIFUL little bags and she shared a few that she had already made ………THANK YOU SUSAN FOR MY BAG!

This one is mine…..I love my bag, Susan!

Catherine made some LOVELY VALENTINES for The Swirly Girls to take on their cruise…next week and they survived the drive by (more accurately the drive over)  incident.  She also gave each of us some BUBBLE GUM CRAYONS………which Susan said weren’t that tasty!  LOL  On a more positive note, Cheryl thought that the yellow crayons were delicious.  I have not tasted mine – but it is the THOUGHT THAT COUNTS.  Thank you Catherine!!!

Catherine and the VERY CREATIVE VALENTINES!

Catherine also worked on her circles for her little MONSTER/ TURNED SCOTTY QUILT.  We were drooling over her beautiful red and black fabric selections!

Catherine's Circles - ready to turn using the Eleanor Burns Method

Cheryl worked on her flowers  (the colors are so yummy) when she wasn’t busy entertaining us in other ways…..she is definitely a valuable and memorable member of the APPLIQUE BEE group.

Cheryl's Flowers

The orange fabric was in Cheryl’s stash and it adds a fabulous splash of color!  It is always so much fun to find these little surprises in our stash!!

I worked on my Rainbow Lollipops quilt – I am making MILLIONS of little flowers….and here are some of them that I have made so far!

Some of sao's flowers

We are all making something from DON’T LOOK NOW patterns and it will be fun to see our projects develop over time!

Not only did we work on our projects but we also LAUGHED A LOT and for lunch we ate white chicken chili that Susan made.  It was so good!  Look at the steam rising – can you almost smell it?

Susan's White Chicken Chili

Here is my lunch….and I got to eat using a hand embroidered tea-towel that Susan’s Grandma made.  I love it.  I wonder if someday my grandangels will love the things that I have made!

Finally – I just have to share photos from Susan’s sewing room…..it is just the most perfect sewing room ever!

We enter the SEWING CASTLE through double doors at the top of the stairs

Inside we see Susan's purse project - the strips all ready to be sewn together

Love the Fabric choices

Colorful Color Coded Stash

On both sides of the double doors are the TO DIE FOR SHELVES DISPLAYING SUSAN’S STASH!

One of the things that I LOVE the most about this sewing room are the RAGGEDY ANNS happily watching over the sewing projects!!!

Isn't this one from Kelly Ann precious?

I adore the little one without clothes!

And Andy is here too!

I think  that you could stand in this room and look for hours and continue to see new things!  I just noticed that I made the little straw hat pin cushion on this shelf!!  :)

We had  a wonderful afternoon spent with friends and furry peeps as well.  I had a great time and I have just ONE MORE THING TO SAY……I LOVE LOVE LOVE this cat!  

I love this cat!

Barbara – you can find her on her blog at CAT PATCHES  - is hosting a foto finish with a theme of  THROUGH THE WINDOW.  She has a picture of  her precious cat that is looking out the window.   Naturally I felt compared to  share our cat window pictures too.

http://catpatches.blogspot.com/2012/02/foto-finish-through-window.html

Honestly, I just ABSOLUTELY HAD to share my own photos of our cats watching the world outside.  The largest cat, Midnight, makes bird noises – it is SO FUNNY!  She now paws at the blinds of the bathroom window if I go in and FORGET to open the blinds so that she can get on her perch!!!  Cats are definitely on my list of FAVORITE THINGS.  I cannot imagine my life without a cat in it!  Here is Midnight looking out the window!

Midnight FIRST started her bird calling from the bedroom window

After VIEWING this FUN, Oreo Cookie joined Midnight in her window viewing activity!

Then there were Midnight AND Oreo

Before long, Grandangel Sarah joined the cats in looking out of the window.  Maybe WE should try looking out the window – it does look like fun, doesn’t it!!

Grandangel Sarah joins the cats

Yes, there are FOUR cats in this family.  Oreo and Cuddles are in the window – and poor Midnight and Hannay Faye are left behind…..but not for long!  I love the way Midnight stands up on her hind legs…..she does this a lot!

Cuddles and Hannah Faye want to have fun too!

Cuddles, Midnight and Oreo made it to the ledge - Hannah Faye is left behind

Isn’t this so sad – little Hannah Faye KNOWS there is something WONDERFUL going on in the outside world – but there doesn’t appear to be any more room!!!!

If you have cute WINDOW PICTURES that you would like to share, go to Barabara’s blog at CAT PATCHES and click on that LINKY THING!

http://catpatches.blogspot.com/2012/02/foto-finish-through-window.html

The first month of the ColorChallenge has been lots of fun.  Here are the Vicki Welsh colors!  This photo is of 1882 tiles in a ship  that she saw in a museum in London.

Vicki Welsh - Jan. 2012 Color Challenge

Here is my quilt using those colors!

The Spangle Tree

Label for THE SPANGLE TREE

I can’t wait to start on the February colors!

Thanks so much to Frances Moore, our January FMQ expert.  The tutorial on SEW CAL GAL’s blog was so easy to follow!

 http://sewcalgal.blogspot.com/2012/01/welcome-to-2012-free-motion-quilting.html

I am looking forward to our February Challenge – and I expect to be doing lots of FMQ in 2012!

SO…..MAYBE I will do the January 16th projects this week…..LOL.

What is FOR SURE on my DESIGN WALL is Judy Laquidara’s January QOV (Quilt of Valor) Quilt Along Quilt.  We are on Step Two and I am loving it.

First we made tiny little FLYING GEESE BLOCKS.  Mine are black and white instead of blue and white (why – because when I started cutting I thought the fabric was navy blue dotty – but after my brain got in gear, I realized they were black dotty…….)

72 Tiny Flying Geese Blocks

Then we made star blocks – 18 very colorful ones!  I think the little black dotty flying geese blocks make great star points!

Step 2 Star Blocks

Here are my 18 COLORFUL Star Blocks – orange, red, blue, yellow, teal, and purple!  I am stepping out here with the use of bright colors…………the NEW ME!

18 Colorful Star Blocks

AND I just finished 36 HST blocks….

Rolling Along Blocks

I am going to learn to do FREE MOTION QUILTING THIS YEAR…and this next quilt, I will be machine quilting myself….2012 SCRAPPY Summer Jewels.  Here is the first block.  This is a pattern from Augusta Cole’s CUTTING BEE and I love the pattern (I have actually made TWO Summer Jewels Quilts already!)  The thing is that I LOVE SCRAPPY QUILTS…..but my SCRAPPY has always been CONTROLLED…..ie; there has been a color theme and lots of fabric the same.  This is my FIRST EVER TOTALLY SCRAPPY ANYTHING GOES QUILT and I am having some “unrestful” feelings about it.  I am going to forge ahead though because ALL OF AUGUSTA’S SCRAPPY QUILTS ARE WONDERFUL and this one just might look better as more blocks are added.  (I HOPE SO BECAUSE I AM NOT IN LOVE WITH THIS BLOCK!)  I think I like it better when the LIGHT BLOCKS are actually lighter…..maybe even white!

2012 Scrappy Summer Jewels

Check out Judy Laquidara’s blog to see what other quilters are doing this week!

http://www.patchworktimes.com/2012/01/30/design-wall-monday-january-30-2012/

I am recommending such a book – “PRINCESS:A True Story of Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia  .”  It is available at Amazon (and that is where I got the picture.)  This is all true – about the life of a real member of the royal family in Saudi Arabia.  Can you imagine having all of the wealth and amenities possible but NO FREEDOM?  Women are treated as property and are tortured and even killed if they do not conform to the rules set forth by the male members of their families and by society.

Princess - by Jean P Sasson

This book had great impact on me – just as “THE HELP”  and “Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close” did!   I highly recommend it!

By the way, are you like me and are you disappointed when you see the movie AFTER you have read the book?  I ALWAYS AM!  I am wondering if I should see the movie EXTREMELY LOUD AND INCREDIBLY CLOSE?  Has anyone read the book and then liked the movie?

I read “THE HELP” after I had seen the movie and I was COMPLETELY HAPPY!   (fyi)  OK – so I am also recommending The Help and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.  (The pictures are also from the Amazon.com site!)

The Help

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

OK – and THIS IS NOT WHY I RECOMMENDED THESE BOOKS – but as I posted this I remembered that if you order anything at Amazon through the Alzheimer’s Art Quilt Initiative LINK, you are contributing to the fund that goes for Alzheimer’s Research.  

HAPPY READING…and what book have you read that you recommend?

Do you shop at Amazon.com? Next time click HERE first! When you enter Amazon.com through the links on this page anything you purchase there … from HERE! Please tell your friends. Here’s that link again: http://www.amazon.com?%5Fencoding=UTF8&tag=alzhsartquili-20 …

Read more: http://search.store.yahoo.net/yhst-40258611477147/cgi-bin/nsearch?query=Buying+at+Amazon&searchsubmit=Go&vwcatalog=yhst-40258611477147&.autodone=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.alzquilts.org%2F#ixzz1krF3YhrU