New Years Eve

All around blogland I've been seeing posts that reflect 2014.  Quilter's are such a generous group of people, who share and inspire, motivate and create, compliment and critique.  I am blessed to call myself a quilter and a blogger. 

While I feel like I've accomplished a lot this year, I know that 2015 is where the work will really be done to continue to move forward making my way in this world as a full time quilter.  I caught up with an old friend over the holidays and she asked if I was still quilting.  She pops in and out of my blog and I was a bit caught off guard about this statement.  Then I realized I have not shared much of my work this past year.  I've been submitting projects to magazines and that has kept much off my blog.  I hope to show most of it this coming year.

I'll leave you with my favorite project that has been in the works for 4 years, yes, 4.  My goal is to have it bound and washed by this day in 2015.  However, there will be a move this spring, but I'm carving out time for this and making it a priority. 

 

My Beyond the Cherry Tree quilt

 

 

 

I hope to show a finished quilt this day next year.   And to all my friends, I'm wishing you all the best that life can bring to you in 2015.

 

Sharon

Help with Hand Piecing

Poof, and it's gone.  That's how I feel about Christmas.  One day the radio plays carols, next day, back to the usual.  thank goodness for cd's!  I've been driving around with Faith Hills Christmas music in my car and shall until new years. 
Lights are down, yard décor cleaned up, left overs finished, right?   Not in our house.  The tree stays up until the weekend after new years, that's been my parents tradition every year growing up and I continue the timeline.  Stock pot on the stove this morning which means a few dinners of hot soup and biscuits in January, nights which can remind of this these past few days.

OK onto my quilting question.  I've been working on this block, it's the first time I've made this pattern and this part is all hand pieced.  I have NOT pressed any seams in any direction and here is my question.  Do I press this out before stitching it to the background piece? It is not appliqued, but pieced in to two separate background pieces.

I'm pretty confident this will lay flat once it's pressed as we stretched it out by hand on the table yesterday at my LQS.  So what's your expert opinion?  Do I press before it gets the outside attached or after the whole block is finished? 

Thanks for taking the time to ponder and reply, it's appreciated. 

Sharon

Merry Christmas

My Christmas gifts came a bit early this year, and quite honestly, very unexpected.  My guy has taken 1 day off from work in 2014, has worked many 60+ hour weeks and many of his "days off" have been spent at his business.  He came home on a Sunday, told me he was looking at flights to Maui, then Monday he told me the condo had been booked, along with the tickets.  I asked when we were going and the reply was "We fly out Thursday at 7:00 a.m."

Holy hanna, that's not much time to prep some hand work for the flight in and out. I know, most people were asking how I was going to 'pre tan' but me, I'm thinking hand work.  A big bottle of 30 sunscreen is as good as a tanning bed!

We arrived in Kihei, Maui on Thursday afternoon.  We were booked into the condo complex that my sweetie grew up in.  Tough teen years, lighting the tiki torches for his part time job!!

The hedges are trimmed and continue to send out the most magnificent flowers!

Shooting right into the sunset gave me my favorite photo of the trip.  From our lanai.

 

When was the last time you saw a phone booth, let along a phone that worked?  I had to pick up the receiver to see if there really was a dial tone.  Yes, indeed.  I saw one close to most beaches.  Yeah for that, just in case you needed to call 911 with a surfer down.

Christmas pedicure was not on the list for the beach, but with last minute plans, no time to change to a beach color. Toes in the surf, amazing.  The best way to get soft feet, walk in the surf every day, twice a day.  Hmmm, I wonder if the doctor ordered it????????????

Fresh picked papaya from Pukulani Street.  We dropped in on parents of Tim's school buddy.  They are in their 90's and have been married for 67 years.  They picked these for us from their yard.  We ate them every morning.......

....along with fresh pineapple, Lily Koi, and apple banana's. How can you have a bad day when it starts like this

Tim got to spend some time with his school buddy.  Pure joy for me to see these two together.

Sunsets from the lanai, every night.

The original life ring from when Tim moved into this complex.  It resides at pool side.

Palms swaying in the afternoon trade winds. 

Last view of Maui as we flew back to reality. 

 

 

Christmas came a little early for me, but a surprise none the less. A trip of a lifetime and one that I will always treasure. Memories were made, old friends were reconnected and LIFE IS GOOD!

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND BEST OF THE SEASON TO ALL.
Thank you for popping into my corner of blogland and commenting once in a while, it's appreciated.
I have learned so much from all of you who let me peek into your quilting lives and for that, I thank you.

Have an amazing 2015!
Sharon

It's Beginning to Look.......

A lot like Christmas around here.  We had a blast of snow, then a few days of cold (for us) weather and now we have the Pineapple Express bringing high, warm winds and rain.  The tide is also high and being right on the ocean had been fabulous with this weather.  I know we are far enough back to not get flooded or damaged, but to see the force of Mother Nature has been fascinating.

The tree is up.

My Christmas sampler is hung on the wall.  I love this piece.  It's a bit askew, but I pull it out every year and enjoy it.

The carolers are out, ready to sing their songs of the season. Every year I add a few new cd's to my Christmas collection of music. This year Faith Hill made the cut, along with Alabama. It's a hard choice when there are so many good cd's to pick from.

Stockings were made by my dear friend LP.  She gifted them to Tim and I last new years and this will be the first year to stuff the toes.  Our initials are stitched on and they are hung by the chimney with care.

Baskets of poinsettias adorn the table, along with some pine scented PartyLite candles.  I think I should have shares in that company.  Their candles are the best.

The little led lights along the window sill add a bit more charm to the décor, without being over the top. We keep it mostly contained to this one room, and enjoy the lights and candles every night.

And if you don't have room for a big tree and lots of decorations, how about making a glitzy tree like this one. Can you believe this? I think it's fabulous. Isabel brought this to the monthly tea party at Fabric Etc. this December. A tree from all her old vintage rhinestones and pearls. She's had holes drilled in from the back and clear mini lights adorn her tree. it's set on black velvet.  Simply stunning!

While you partake in the hustle and bustle of the season, I shall be soaking up some sun ........

JUST PINCH ME!!!!
Sharon

This and That

I've been a blogger slacker, but not a sewing slacker.  Here are my blades for the Sacagawea Sampler that I'm still working on.  This was pretty fast and makes into an 18" block.

Every year I bemoan the fact that I don't have any Christmas pillows, so this was the year to make it happen. I pulled out this tray of red and white strips and got busy.  How fast things go together when you don't' have to do any of the cutting.

So it almost happened.  I do have the pillow top quilted, the backing has been pre washed and pressed, the zippers are purchased.  The only thing missing is the time.  We all know that story.  There is a second red/white star pillow that is 3/4 quilted, so things are looking good for pillows Christmas 2015!

My friend PK made this table runner and never got back to the quilting part of ti.  I grabbed I from her sewing room in the summer, and now just need to post it back to her.  That's on my list of tasks for today.

I'd like to keep this one, it's simple, yet does the trick for a quick pick up in the decorating department.

Along with these projects, I've got customer quilts done, ready for them to bind and gift out over the Christmas season.  I've been poking away at our January What Not samples, good grief, could she use smaller pieces?  And staying the course on my hand quilting.

Hope you have time to sew during this busy season.

Sharon