David's Wedding

Calvin's good friend invited him to be his best man at his wedding. We enjoyed the afternoon in Seattle with many of his friends and some great music. Calvin performed his duties very well and even accompanied David in a song for his new wife.

Quilt Top New Definition

For anyone who has ever googled "Quilt Top" and produced guitars, you may know there is something unique about the term. I decided early on in the year that I needed to make a Guitar Quilt for our wildly successful choir director at Stanwood High. Since I adore www.RobbiEcklow.com I used her pattern. This now hangs in Eric Ronning's office.

Remember Stack 'n Whack?

Bethany Reynolds' Stack 'n Whack book was first published when I was a beginner quilter. I ran to Fabricland and picked up the cheapest cotton I could buy. This had beans of all shapes and sizes and was $1.67/yard. I couldn't imagine a more hideous fabric!

I think I made 2 or 3 of these before running out of fabric. Stack 'n Whack only uses half of the lengthwise fabric. One of my friends loved it so much, I made her one. This one ended up in the Quilt Shop Magazine a few years ago! One Block Wonder is a type of Stack 'n Whack.

Measuring the fabric repeat is the same. For fun I bought Sara Nephew's book and added a few hollow blocks since they are based on 6 diamonds. With the blocks all together without sashing, it can be overwhelming visually.

Creating a Garden Bed Quilt-style

What do you do with your leftover egg cartons? Here's what we do: we make beds!

I didn't do a great job distributing the colored flats, but hey, let's cover that up!

Now no one can see the beautiful masterpiece underneath. The box on the upper right is filled with old telephone books. I ripped those up and used them the same way for the other bed.

Is anyone impressed?

Thanks Jack! I'm excited, too!

Finished my Yin-Yang!

I finally finished my Yin-Yang from two years ago. Sometimes it makes sense to put quilts away or on the design wall when things aren't going right.

I had quilted this machine applique design with a back that had uneven edges. When I turned it over, the lines were wacky toward the edges. I put it away.  When I pulled it back out, I decided to cut the border from 5 inches to 2 1/2 inches. Now the back looks great.

After binding, I created a Tyvek bag for its storage underneath the bed.

End of Year Performance

 Marnie is performing her year-end dance with the Camano Island Dance Academy. It's wonderful to see her develop her dancing skills. I didn't do well in ballet at her age. It requires too much muscle control for me. Marnie likes the exacting requirements of ballet.

Easter Eggs

 It seems silly to continue Easter Egg Hunts with my children grown, but I can't help it. I absolutely love buying candy and making little eggs surprises. And looking at each year's pictures makes me realize my time is running out with them.