Sewing and Sunflowers

Sewing/quilting time in my studio has been almost completely absent in the last month...and I have been itching to fire up my machine! The great news is, I am feeling much better...the problem is, the puppy has taken over most, if not all, of my sewing time (right now she is Puppy 2.0). When my husband is home, I try to sneak away and get in a little studio time...and over the last several weeks, I managed to create several handmade birthday gifts. Thank goodness I was thinking ahead while I was in California and picked up a bag full of stitching gifts from Elegant Stitch...so my handmade gifts didn't need to be nearly as labor-intensive.

For my fabulous friend Robin, I made a small table topper/candle mat...it is the "Crossing Ohio" block...I had fun working with some patriotic cotton quilting fabrics (Quilts of Valor by Minick & Simpson for Moda Fabrics)...and this interesting traditional block is always fun! It measures 12" square...and although this is not the best photo, it did turn out as I envisioned!

I also worked on a couple fun pieces for my dear friend Terri's birthday. I had no idea she was a sunflower fan, I was just in a sunflower mood when I started working on her project...turns out she adores sunflowers, so it worked out wonderfully. The first piece I made was a small applique wall hanging/runner...I had a kit from Country Traditions in Fremont, NE (they have a whole collection of Skinny Mini Wall Hanging Quilt Kits)....but in true Belinda fashion, I had to make it my own and change it up a bit. I wanted the appliqued sunflower to match the sunflowers in the border fabric, so I cut out a completely different flower and leaves...and I was thrilled with the result! I also played around with the quilting - I had seen a video where you adjust the tension when you "quilt as you go" (when the applique stitching is also the quilting), so you can see your top color thread/applique stitches on the back of your quilt, giving it an artistic look...this was my first time trying this technique and it turned out rather well!

While I was putting together the wall hanging, I thought about a machine embroidered sunflower pincushion I made a couple years ago...I knew it would match perfectly. I was so pleased when I pulled out the machine embroidery pattern (Pin Cushions by Smith Street Designs) to find I had kitted fabric with it from when I made my first one, so I had everything I needed already gathered...that was a happy moment, as time is so limited right now!

I can't wait until life gets back to normal and I can get back in my studio...I have so many projects in the works and on my to-do list. The next project is to finally finish something very special for my California friend...she has been very patient, as I have been working on it for quite some time...hopefully it will be worth the wait...

I'll be back tomorrow with details and photos of my class project design for the New England Stitcher's Retreat...I am very excited to share it with you!

Meet Schatzi...

Travis with Schazti when we picked her up in MN...8 weeks old...

Hello friends! I finally have a moment to myself and thought I would do a quick blog update...things have been a bit hectic in our household to say the least... Last weekend we drove up to Minnesota to pick up "Schatzi", our new German Shepherd puppy...and she is a handful (to put it kindly). She is all puppy and is definitely keeping me on my toes. The name Schatzi is German for "little treasure"...and although she is not going to be little for long, she is definitely a treasure (she was 19.5 pounds at her vet visit last Sunday). I pretty much have her attached at the hip for 17-18 hours a day...the other six or seven hours is during the night when she is sleeping in her kennel...at this age, I can't let her out of my sight for long, or she is busy being a puppy (finding things to chew or "exploring"). She is doing quite well with the house training and is already going to the front door when she needs a potty break (which is often). So far, Simba is "tolerating" her...they aren't best friends yet, but they can handle being in the same space. Here are a few photos for those who asked...then we will talk about other things...

First night in our home...8 weeks old...

A calm moment in our yard - 9 weeks old...

Play time in the yard...9 weeks old...

Now on to other things...
I am still dealing with a terrible cough in my chest and I'm feeling rundown...but the other flu symptoms have subsided...which is a great thing! Thank you for the well wishes and the home remedies you have have shared with me...I am hoping I am finally on the mend.

I have finished the class project for the New England Stitcher's Retreat and have sent finished photos and details to the event coordinators...as soon as I have the okay, I will be sharing all the information with you!

I have quite a few Blue Ribbon Designs "irons in the fire" right now...and I am doing my best to get some new releases ready...plus a special project is in the works and I will have details soon. The flu and the puppy have slowed me down, but I am hoping to be back on track in the next week or so...

On the sewing/quilting front, there is not much news...but I did manage to finish some fun birthday gifts over the last couple weeks and I will be sharing those with you in the next few days...

I hope you are having a wonderful weekend and experiencing sunshine in your little corner of the world...take time to do something you enjoy!

Feathered Friends on Fabrics

The flu California plague still has a bit of a hold on me...I was starting to feel better on Friday, but overdid it (trying to catch-up on life) and today I am miserable once again. I did manage to get out on Friday for a delightfully long lunch with my dear friends Mary and Lorrie...and for errands and dinner with my husband....other than that, I have been nursing my flu bug and trying to rest. I have started the finishing process for the New England Stitcher's Retreat class pieces, but it is slow going, as I am not feeling "up to speed".

Friday's lunch with the girls also included a trip to a local quilt shop, where I purchased a pile of fat quarters from a beautiful new fabric collection - "Tweet For Two" by Nancy Rink for Marcus Fabrics. I just love this  entire line and the floral focal fabric with whimsical birds! Last week I received some new AccuQuilt Studio and GO! cutting dies and I have a very fun idea for these special fabrics...

...and speaking of bird fabrics...check out this absolutely gorgeous tote bag a very dear friend made for me...isn't it FABULOUS?! The fabric is "Oh Deer!" by Momo for Moda and I just adore it...and I have been using this tote every single chance I get. I'm not sure about the pattern she used...but I just LOVE all the roomy pockets and the pleated ruffle accents! 

I have also been experimenting with stamps and ink on fabric...isn't this bird stamp adorable??..it was a gift from the very same dear friend who made the tote bag for me. I have picked out some unique/fun stamps and have been trying different inks to use on fabric for an upcoming project idea...

I am very anxious to get back to my sewing machine and start working on several new creative ideas...plus finish a few gifts that I have in progress...but for now, I am back to my warm stitching nest - it is bringing me some comfort while I try to shake this awful flu virus...

A Guaranteed Smile...

Thank you all for your notes about the new puppy joining our family in just over a week. The puppies will be 8 weeks old on the 9th on May...and we will be making the journey to Minnesota to pick up our "pink collar" girl on Saturday, May 11th. Many of you would like to know if we have a name picked out yet...well, we do have a name in mind, but we will be waiting until we spend a little more time with her before making it official. I don't have any new photos to share with you today, but I do have this adorable video...guaranteed to make you smile! Here is the entire litter of nine and their momma (Anna) out for a morning stroll...enjoy...

Yosemite National Park

Here it is Wednesday afternoon, and I am still suffering from the "California plague" (yes, my diagnosis has been changed from "California flu" to "California plague", which is much more accurate). I have started to feel a wee bit better and I am finally somewhat functional...my temperature has lowered and I almost able to breathe through my nose again, both of which are good signs...I am hoping to be back to normal in the next day or two...fingers crossed.

Today, I will once again let my photos do most of the talking...these gorgeous pictures are from Yosemite National Park. Last week during my trip to California, I was beyond blessed to stay with Lois and Mr. Bear for a few extra days to do some sightseeing...and Mr. Bear was kind enough to drive us to Yosemite for a day. He really had no idea what he was getting himself into, as this Iowa girl likes to stop at every single landmark for photos...he started out by giving me a time limit for each stop and by the end of the day, I was made aware I had reached my quota - no more stops...luckily by then I had a gazillion photos (and really, how many photos can you take of mountains, trees, and water??...it is really something you just have to experience in person). It was another breathtaking day filled with marvelous views and memories...and big, BIG trees (I am in a couple of the photos to show you just how BIG)...

Bridalveil Creek

Bridalveil Fall

Ribbon Fall

The Ahwahnee Hotel

Inside the Ahwahnee Hotel

Tunnel View

Horse Tail Fall

Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
Bachelor and Three Graces

Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
Fallen Tree

Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
Grizzly Giant

Mariposa Grove of Giant Sequoias
California Tunnel Tree
(cut in 1895 to allow horse-drawn stages to pass through)

And for my faithful readers...yes, it is still all "about the squirrel"...and the bird...and the lizard...

 I hope you enjoyed seeing Yosemite National Park through my camera lens....it was truly incredible...

It was an AMAZING trip to California - I can hardly wait to go back in November! A huge thank you to all the attendees at the Elegant Stitch Workshop - I am so glad you requested to have me return - I enjoyed my time with each and everyone of you!! ...and to Lois and Mr. Bear - you know how dear you are to me - thank you for your hospitality, your love, and your friendship - you hold a very special place in my heart...

Teaching and Tahoe...

"Bluebird Sewing Box" - The Class Project

Believe it or not, I am still really under the weather...sick as sick can be...and it is definitely not a cold, as some of the highlights include a 102 temperature, chills, sweats, terrible aches, weakness and dizziness - along with all the regular, nasty head cold symptoms and a terrible cough....so for my purposes, this will be known as the "California Flu". The California Flu has had me in bed or on the sofa for the last three days and is still hanging on...in fact, this post is coming to you via my laptop while I am curled up in bed (hopefully on the mend)...and will probably take me several writing sessions (my focus is limited and only good for short periods of time)...therefore, any typographical or grammatical errors are unintentional and probably a side effect of this gruesome illness...

So let's talk about my teaching trip to California...
It started out a little hectic...I was supposed to fly from Des Moines to Denver to Sacramento...well, it didn't work out that way. My flight (on Thursday) was several hours delayed getting out of Des Moines (the plane was coming from Chicago and it happened to be on the day with the terrible thunderstorms and flooding)...and although they held my connection in Denver to Sacramento for a couple hours, a sprint from one end of the Denver airport to the other found me out of breath and watching the last daily flight to Sacramento taxiing away from the gate. Ugh. All the flights for the following day were completely booked and I got an immediate notification that I was scheduled on the 6:10 AM flight for Saturday morning - well, that wasn't going to work, as I had a class to teach on Friday evening (and I really didn't want to spend 36+ hours in the airport). I started the tearful walk to the airline help center to see if there was anything they could do...I knew there was one last flight to California on Thursday evening (I had done my homework)...and as I was passing through the airport on the moving sidewalk, I saw the gate for the 9:45 PM flight to San Francisco (the last flight of the day and my only hope of getting to CA). I  hurdled the sidewalk railing (seriously), headed straight for that gate, and prayed for a miracle. Once the counter was open, I was put on standby for the flight to San Francisco...and I was (you guessed it) number eleven...bye, bye hope. I called my dear friend who was going to pick me up at whatever airport I could get to and broke the news...it was not looking good. Somehow, they made room for twelve passengers and I got on that flight - it was a blessing - and I am so glad I was proactive and hurdled the rail of the moving sidewalk. Great news, I made it California - it was after midnight and we had a long drive to Modesto, but I made it to California!! I think we arrived at about 2:30 AM...too bad my luggage was still in Denver. I won't go into too much detail - but let's just say, all the attendees got to see me without make-up in day-old clothes with my hair tied up...basically at my worst (I just used the explanation that I was practicing for the Koman 3-Day event I am participating in this coming November)...how embarrassing. My suitcase did arrive at 2:19 Saturday morning...and even more convenient, it was "signature required" - yep, doorbell ringing, dogs barking, everyone awake at 2:20 AM. But I must say, after all that, it was a fabulous trip!

It was so much fun to see all my California friends and stitching family...and we had such a marvelous time! Friday morning/afternoon, I got a chance to see many of the attendees at Elegant Stitch (of course everyone wanted to do some shopping - including me)...that evening we had a wonderful light dinner at the hotel...then started the "Bluebird Sewing Box" class. I was thrilled to see everyone finish their floral scissor fob and we even had time to start covering the rest of the class materials. Saturday everyone had a chance to start stitching...and many had a very good start on the project! After breaking for lunch, we finished covering all the class materials...I signed all the class notebooks...and I had a chance to visit with each attendee, one on one. After class, we headed back to Elegant Stitch for more shopping and visiting. It was a FABULOUS couple days and I truly enjoyed the entire event. It is always such a blessing to travel and meet fellow needleworkers...and even more fun when I get to return and see so many familiar faces...plus there were new faces, as well. I just adore Elegant Stitch and all my California friends!

Once the Elegant Stitch Workshop was complete, I had plans to stay in California with Lois and Bruce and do some sightseeing! Lois and I had made plans to spend a couple days in Lake Tahoe...and a day in Yosemite National Park...both of which I had never visited before...yes, I know I am such a lucky girl! Sunday morning we were up bright and early - we did a ten mile walk in Modesto, then set out on our journey to Lake Tahoe. This (born and raised) Iowa girl was pretty much blown away by the entire trip - the snow-capped mountains, the HUGE trees, the water, the wildlife - it was incredible (I will let the photos do the talking). We drove the entire 72 miles around the lake - stopping at ALL the scenic overlooks, where my jaw was consistently dropped...we picked up a late picnic lunch and ate on the beach...we stopped at Vista Point and Memorial Point...checked out Emerald Bay, King's Beach, Crystal Bay, Fannette Island, Eagle Falls, Heavenly Village, and the Y (to name a few places)...we saw it ALL. Around 6:15 PM, when we were finishing our scenic drive and heading for the lodge (are you ready for this??) we actually saw a tagged momma California brown bear and three (YES, THREE) bear cubs...seriously...we saw four bears along the roadside! It was a challenge to get good photos from a moving car (sorry for the blurriness, but I had to show you my proof!)...at first we only saw one bear (the one I have a close-up of)...but then we saw the momma and two more cubs in the distance - it was incredible and unforgettable...I can't believe I actually saw bears!
So without further ado, here is just a tiny bit of Lake Tahoe through my camera lens...

So there you have it, just a taste of the beauty I was able to take in while I was visiting Lake Tahoe...it was truly breathtaking! I will be back with more photos from my visit...including a few from Yosemite National Park. For, now it is back to bed for me...I *have to* get rid of this terrible "California Flu"...

A New Family Addition...

I have returned from my whirlwind teaching trip to California...and I was blessed to stay a few extra days for some rest and relaxation with a very dear friend (which I desperately needed). I have tons of photos and stories to share with you...however, during our few days off, we both managed to get some sort of cold/flu crud and I am completely miserable...so today's blog post is going to be a bit short and I will return when I am feeling better with a post or two all about my travels.

Recently, I shared with you that we might be having a new arrival in our home...well, it's official - on Saturday, May 11th, a German Shepherd puppy will be joining our family! My husband made a trip up to our breeder in Hugo, MN last weekend while I was away and got a few photos of our little girl. The breeder thought the pink ribbon girl would fit best into our family...and sure enough, when he let all nine of the puppies (five girls and four boys) out, the one with the pink ribbon ran right up to Travis and said hello. Here are some of the photos...including one of all nine of the girls (she is on the left)...

Truth be told, I really did not want another dog in the house - Simba is definitely enough responsibility for me...but this is my husband's dream dog (he grew up with a German Shepherd) and he has been begging to get one for fifteen years...many of you know I tend to be a bit of a control freak and have to have everything a "certain way"...but I have decided life is short and it is time be a little more relaxed...so here we go...my first attempt...we'll see how I do after a few weeks with a puppy in the house...I'm sure I'll have more to share in a couple weeks when she is old enough to join our home...