New Computer & "Emma" quilt

I finally purchased my new laptop. It has been over a week and I am still trying to get it where I want it software wise. Today the mission was getting the camera/download pictures to work. It took me almost an hour just to find the cd that came with the camera. So here are the pictures of the finished "Emma" quilt. I took it to her last weekend and she loved it. I made a matching pillowcase out of the left over material. Had I known how easy they were, I would have been making them a long time ago. French seams are my new favorite.

Wow where has the time gone?

Did you think I was gone for good? I thought I was! I started school again. The mission this time is my Masters. I attend class every Wednesday night from 6pm to 10pm in Sacramento. That gives me one very long day each week. I leave for work at 7am and do not return to the house until 11pm. I have been finding time to quilt in between the reading and paper writing though.

I finished piecing the "Emma" bento box quilt a couple of weeks ago but have not been able to post the pictures on a timely basis. Since this picture was taken I have quilted and finished the binding. I also made a pillowcase with the leftover backing and binding fabric. Maybe I will get those pictures posted next month.

I have started a new project, my first mystery quilt by Cathy O. from an online group I belong to. Here are my colors and fabrics. I just love green and blue and paisley!

Tax Day has come and gone, Finally!

So now that the taxes are out of the way... And yes I did wait till the last minute! I have a couple of things to show today. First: I went to my very first quilt show at the beginning of the month. I was sick and had been branding calves at my parent's ranch that morning so needless to say I am glad they let me in. It was very small and hosted by the local quilter's guild. Of course I had to purchase many little things.

I like to think that I am green in my sewing but I couldn't help but try the new Dream Green batting. It is made from recycled plastic bottles. We shall see how it quilts sometime soon...

I have some WIP's going on right now. This is the diaper bag to match the stacked coins Jungle Quilt for my Cousin Erica. The Baby Shower is Saturday and it looks like all will be complete tonight! YAY for me.

These Bento Box squares are for Emma. Emma is a darling little girl that belongs to our friends Allen and Jennifer. She is the tiniest little thing and she loves pink. I think she is going to love this quilt.

These are rectangles or hst's ready to be sewn together to create a wonderful quilt of diamonds without sewing the diamonds! I have some wedding gifts I owe to some friends and this is going to be one of their choices. I have decided to sew up some quilts and just let them pick out which ones they want.

So yes I have been bad about posting, but I have been really busy too. I am off to Napa this weekend for some much needed time out of the house. I love that I only live an hour and a half from the California Wine Country!

Quilterblogs.com

My Blog has been added to Quilterblogs.com! I am so excited about this new adventure. I use this site on a daily basis to find inspiration and tips, it is such a great tool for quilters and crafters. I am honored to be among the list of artists.

I finished my first machine quilted quilt a couple of weeks ago. As you can see my Lily loves this quilt. It happily fits in her kennel and she sleeps on it every day.

Here is the Jungle quilt that I finished last week. It is the stacked coins quilt and my 2nd try at machine quilting.

I love the Zebra stripe back and binding. This is for my Cousin Erica and her baby boy. I am making a diaper bag to match. If you haven't tried the stacked coins quilt, you must! It was super easy and Amandajean has a great tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop site.

My next project is a Bento Box quilt using these yummy fabrics.

And last but not least... I happened to sneak up on my precious Lily checking out my sewing area the other day.... Bad puppy!

Crazy Weekend Ahead...

Sorry it has been a while since my last post. I have a ton of new pictures to add but sadly they are at home still in the camera. Yes I am at work right at this very moment. I finished the Jungle Stacked Coins baby quilt for my Cousin Erica. It is definitely one of my faves. I have the matching diaper bag cut out and ready to sew. I have been collecting a couple different stacks of fabrics for future projects. Again I have pictures but again they are still in the camera. I hope I can post them for you all soon.

So I have a crazy weekend ahead. Tomorrow I have the day off from work so I can help the Tahoe Cattlemens' Association set up and decorate for their annual Spring Dinner and Dance. Then I leave that wonderful dinner (sadly) at 6:15pm to arrive at my California Cattlewomen's Association (CCW) Spring Executive Meeting in Folsom, CA. After I am done there I meet the Cattlemen again back in Loomis to help clean up after the dinner. (And Yes I am still talking about Friday night.) Saturday I have another meeting in Folsom for the California Cattlewomen's Heritage Foundation at 8 am. After this meeting the CCW is having a wonderful workshop on Marketing and 21st Century Beef Promotion. At 3 pm I am back in Lincoln for the 11th Annual California Waterfowl Association fundraising Banquet. Brian and I have been on the committee for this dinner since the beginning. So Sunday I get to rest right? Well not so fast. Sunday morning at 8 am it's back to Folsom for the CCW Spring General Membership Meeting. Can you say CRAZY?!? Yes I am crazy, but after this weekend, I have all the time in the world to do what I love, Quilt.

The Weekend Project

This weekend's project is cutting the fabric for my Cousin's baby quilt. Her theme for the nursery is jungle with bright colors. I am going to try my hand at a stacked coins quilt. You can see a great tutorial of one on the Moda Bake Shop website. There are many cool ideas for crafting and quilting. I visit at least three times a week! The tutorial was written by Crazy Mom Quilts who also blogs here. I visit this blog at least once a day for inspiration... Such talented people on the web these days! Another great location for inspiration on the web is Quilterblogs. There are hundreds of blogs to browse in one location.

Finding Inspiration during this depression....

It's been a great while since I posted here... But I have been hooked on reading other's "Quilt Blogs". I have found so much inspiration in the middle of this financial down turn. I love sewing and lately I have been too busy to finish a few projects, one being my Mom's Christmas Quilt. Sorry Mom! Others include two quilts for my cousin's daughters in Colorado and serveral baby boy quilts for all my prego friends. I will get to it tomorrow as tonight is Bunco Night!