Creativity in the Works

It's been business as usual here at the Blue Ribbon Designs studio...designing, stitching, quilting, sewing, walking...and all the normal duties, challenges, and positives that life entails. It's been a little tough to find a balance lately, but I am starting to get things under control once again...and if I could just finish stitching the model for my 2015 Komen 3-Day exclusive fundraising design, then I might be able to catch my breath (just maybe). As always, I have a plethora of pretty projects in progress (my tables are covered) and some really fun finishes to share with you in the near future...but for now, here's a photo walk of what has been inspiring me and keeping me busy...and some of my creativity in the works...

Saturday Snapshots

Here's just a glimpse at some of the things happening in my world...

My prize package arrived from Pellon...and it is wonderful...thank you to everyone
who voted for my entries in Nancy Zieman's pillow challenge...I can't wait to put
these fun supplies to good use!

I basted, quilted, and binded all four GO! Value Die Sampler Quilts....

....and all four got shipped off to their new home...

I added to my forest that was originally started in 2008...
And A Forest Grew by Rosewood Manor

I picked up these delicate fabrics on a little afternoon trip to the quilt shop
after lunch with my very dear friend...
Ambleside by Brenda Riddle Designs for Moda

The May/June issue of Quiltmaker Magazine arrived...and one of my
quilt designs is featured! More details in my next post...

My "Kites in Flight" quilt made it home after the photo shoot...

Schatzi and I on our favorite trail...

Miss Schatzi before she started to frolic in the lake...

Testing the waters...

Wishing you a joyous weekend, filled with things that make you happy!

Sunday Samplings

Happy weekend friends! It is a quiet Sunday and I am finishing up the piecing on four sampler quilts with music playing to lighten my mood. Schatzi and I just returned from a training walk at the lake and a visit to Starbucks...she was restless and I needed to get out of my studio and clear my head for a bit. The temperatures were in the mid-fifties this afternoon, but the wind was insane with 40-45 mph gusts...there were moments when I thought we were going to be blown away. This week has kept me busy working on some not-so-fun deadlines and juggling my schedule to fit everything in...I'm thrilled to almost be caught up with everything and I'm REALLY looking forward to working on a few projects that I personally enjoy and some sewing for my Etsy shop...plus some spring cleaning (I wish I could afford to take a few days off and just scrub away the winter months).

Here's a few photos of what's happening in my world...

Part of my prize package from Nancy Zieman's Pillow Challenge arrived...
a nice reference book and DVD...can't wait for the box from Pellon to show up on my doorstep...

Completed four GO! Hovering Hawks Blocks for four sampler quilts...finally
all 48 - 8" blocks are complete...it was a magical feat to fit these quilts into my schedule...
and after piecing hundreds of them, I am completely SICK of half square triangles (2" finished
square)...I can't wait to finish these four quilts and move on to something fun
(the 1st one of these quilts was enjoyable - these four, have been a challenge)...

Completed four GO! Flying X Blocks...

Completed four GO! Pinwheel Blocks...

Completed four GO! Mosaic 22 Blocks...
this block is probably my least favorite from the project...

Funny (true) story - my dear friend Mary called me yesterday and wanted to know if I
 had done anything for myself recently or taken some time for me...my response -
"I bought a new ironing board cover"...that got a good laugh...it's the little things...

A little personal stitching...Blackbird Designs monthly stockings...
two of the three for March done...and the third is started...

Simba waking up from a nap in Schatzi's bed today...he sleeps, I sew...

Miss Schatzi and I at Raccoon River Park this afternoon during a training walk...
I couldn't get her to look at the camera, but I did get a big kiss...

Thanks for visiting today - for now, I am back to work on the sampler quilts - the sooner I get all four of them done and off my plate, the better - I am ready for a fresh, new project!

Stitching, Sewing, and Schatzi

Two 18" pillows I recently completed for a dear friend...

I'm taking a break from my sewing machine to do a little blog update this afternoon....I've been at my machine most of the afternoon and I thought I would sit down for a virtual chat while I get a dose of caffeine and clear my head.

Last night, I finished a HUGE project for Just CrossStitch magazine that will be in the October issue...oh how I wish I could share it with you now, but you will have to be patient - it was A LOT of work, but so worth every minute...and I am just thrilled with how it turned out...

Have you been voting daily for my AccuQuilt Block Design Contest entries? - if you have, then I truly appreciate you! I know I ask for your votes every year...and for some reason, they make the voting process last a lifetime...but I want you to know that I am thankful for each and every vote. I hesitated to enter this year, after some of last year's results and the voting process - I know there was a lot of frustration across the board...but this year it is not just popular vote...and the block entries have to be made from AccuQuilt shapes (not just a fabric panel with a photo or a picture of a quilt)...this year, it seems much more fair and actually as described - a "block" design contest. They do have the direct view links working now, so I will provide them to make voting even easier. If you feel so inclined, you may bookmark them and vote daily through April 19th...every single vote helps - and THANK YOU!

Simply click on the direct links listed and click on the word "VOTE" - no registration is necessary and no e-mail address is collected. You can vote every 24-hours per device for all your favorites (meaning you can vote for all four of my blocks each day, along with any others you like)....

In The Pink: http://bit.ly/1xmF620

Sequined Stars: http://bit.ly/1C7P1IE

Petal Piecing: http://bit.ly/1CFvLV8

Perpetual Pinwheels: http://bit.ly/1ATmFOz

You can also visit: http://www.accuquilt.com/contest to submit your own block design and/or view all the entries!

So, today, I am back to working on four AccuQuilt GO! Value Die Sampler Quilts - I have most of the 48 sampler blocks complete and plan to have them all pieced by the end of the day...there are a total of 844 half square triangles (2" finished square) in four sampler quilts, so at this point, I really don't want to see triangles again for at least a few days. I cut all 1,384 pieces before starting, so now I am just putting everything together. I wanted to be done with all of them by now, but there are only so many hours in a day and matching up all the triangle points is taking me quite a bit of time. Maybe in the future I will do a block by block daily tutorial, including my tips and tricks - if you would like to see something like this, send me a message...if there is enough interest, I will see about putting something together.

GO! Simplicity Block Pattern

GO! Boat Block Pattern

GO! Whirlpool Block Pattern

GO! Double 4-Patch Block Pattern

GO! Road to Oklahoma Block Pattern

The original GO! Value Die Sampler Quilt I created....

I am now off for my daily training walk with Schatzi (my German Shepherd training partner) - temperatures are in the mid 40s and it has stopped raining, so it should be a nice evening walk - we will probably do around 6 miles. We have been doing some walks around the lake, but tonight, I think we will stay in the neighborhood...then it will be back to my sewing machine until 11:00 PM (I'm on a schedule and a deadline)...

Schatzi at Blue Heron Lake (Raccoon River Park) over the weekend...

September Samplings

09/27/14
Happy Pumpkin Day!
Cathey - thinking of you and missing you.

I'm not sure who hijacked my month - the last few weeks have just seemed to vanish.  I've been training daily for the Komen 3-Day, I've been creative on a daily basis, I've been working hard...and I've been feeling blessed. My early morning training walks with Schatzi are full of inspiration...and so is the data card on my smartphone...I take way too many photos! The photo to the right was actually taken on the walking trail...someone strategically placed several pumpkins and pots of mums on the path - it was quite fun to find them during one of my journeys. Although autumn is definitely arriving, I have been able to capture some lovely floral shots...and this morning I took some wonderful images when Miss Schatzi and I walked around the lake. I have been spending my days in the studio - designing multiple cross stitch and quilting pieces for magazine publications...I've been doing tons of needlework finishing...I've been working on a plethora of AccuQuilt projects (you can find my Halloween wall hanging quilt pattern on their website)...and I have just finished a sizable pile of new items that will soon be listed in my freshly updated Etsy shop! I also prepared hundreds of peaches for freezing this week, thanks to my in-laws - they have wonderful fruit trees and I am lucky to reap some of the rewards - the frozen peaches will be perfect for my fruit smoothies throughout the coming months. Here is a quick weekly wrap-up in photos:

So, while I haven't blogged much in the last couple weeks, I have been keeping active and enjoying my days! I'll be back soon with some creative ideas/posts for you...there has been A LOT going on in my design studio...