It was a bitter cold, wintry week here in Iowa, but I have been keeping nice and warm in my comfy studio. I have been sewing, quilting, and stitching...working on a plethora of new projects. I have been adding more items to
my Etsy shop for Valentine's Day and St. Patrick's Day...and I have been finishing some fun custom orders and magazine pieces. Plus, I finished up a special cross stitch design for
The Sampler Life (
a Yahoo! Group and
Facebook Group with a love for cross stitch and needlework samplers) SAL - Ina has been planning this designer SAL for the last month or so and I was happy to create a complimentary design especially for this project - I am not sure when she will be releasing it, but I will keep you updated (you must be a member of
The Sampler Life and sign-up for the SAL - click on the links above for more info). I have also been charting more designs and model stitching for
Just CrossStitch magazine, so I will keep you updated when those will be published....and one of my quilt designs will be published in
Quiltmaker Magazine in the May/June issue (I just finished up the model this weekend). In my spare time, I have been working on a few design ideas that use my
AccuQuilt fabric cutters...and a tutorial for the
GO! Big Blog Hop taking place at the end of February/beginning of March. Over-all, it has been a busy, but creative start to 2015!
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| Chain piecing on a cold winter afternoon.... |
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| Starbucks in the studio... |
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| Custom Quilt Order - Garden Patch Cats by Helene Knott (Story Quilts) - Broc-Kitty |
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| Custom Quilt Order - Garden Patch Cats by Helene Knott (Story Quilts) - Cobby Cat |
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| Custom Quilt Order - Garden Patch Cats by Helene Knott (Story Quilts) - Walla Walla Kitty |
I have also been doing some baking this week...and I made a huge pot of homemade chili - in these cold temperatures, it's nice to have some comfort food on hand. I have also been enjoying hot beverages in several AWESOME new mugs I received this holiday season...when it is below zero every single day, hot cups of coffee and tea are a must...and they have to be in a fun mug that will make me smile!
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| My favorite molasses cookies... |
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New Topsy Turvy mugs in my collection that arrived from my very dear
friend Terri...aren't they adorable?! |
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| Homemade chili in the crockpot... |
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A FABULOUS fishy mug with purple lips, daisy eyes, and a fin handle brings
happiness to any beverage - thanks Miss Mary!! |
Today, I have a roast and veggies in the slow cooker...the dogs have been walked...and I am ready to work on some itty bitty quilt blocks (YAY!). I'll be back soon to share these small quilt blocks that are part of a
QM Bitty Block QAL with a free monthly block released on the first Monday of each month...this month is a Bitty 3" Bow Tie block! Check out the Quiltmaker's Magazine blog "Quilty Pleasures" for all the details:
http://www.quiltmaker.com/blogs/quiltypleasures/2015/01/qms-bitty-blocks-adorable-small-designs/
...and I will back in the next day or two to share my bitty blocks....
