Monday, February 20, 2012

New Projects

I do have a few new projects in the works here at Lakeside Quilting!  The first is an Old Shale scarf (Ravelry Link) made of Dream in Color Smooshy with Cashmere in this gorgeous blue, which the boss brought home from one of his business trips for me.


Next up is a Tidepool sock made from Fleece Artist Somoco yarn.  I got this as part of a sock club a few years ago and I'm finally knitting it up! This picture does not do the color justice, it's a beautiful blend of aqua blues and greens.


Next is an applique which I'm doing with a friend as a block of the month.  The pattern is Piece O Cake designs "Cinnamon Stitches" which was their 1998 BOM.  I plan to do the entire quilt with Bonnie and Camille's Ruby fabric.


Now the question is, will any of them be done by the end of 2012???

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Giveaway!


I was recently asked to preview a book that is coming out on February 21st.  When I realized it was the latest installment of the Elm Creek Quilters books by Jennifer Chiaverini, I was delighted to do so!  As soon as the book arrived in the mail and I started reading, I knew I wouldn't be disappointed.  The book picks up the story of Rosa Diaz Barclay, who we met in The Quilters Homecoming.  She's had a very difficult life...she's married to a man who abuses her, and 4 of her children have died from a mysterious disease (one that has touched my daughter, thank goodness for advances in medicine!). She manages to run away with her first love to look for medical care for her children and a new life for herself and her children.  I don't want to give anything away and I haven't finished the book yet, so you'll just have to read it yourself!

Once I finish reading this, I've been asked to give it away to another reader so they can enjoy it too!  If you'd like to win my copy of Sonoma Rose, just leave a comment.  I'll use the random number generator next Saturday, February 25th to choose a winner.  Good luck!

Thursday, February 16, 2012

Quilt Top Finish


I've finally finished the quilt top for my Block of the Month Quilt that I did in 2010 through the Fat Quarter Shop and I can't believe I waited so long to finish. I love how it all came together! I've already made the binding...just need to load it on the machine and decide how to quilt it. Any suggestions?
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Monday, January 09, 2012

Catching Up...

I haven't been very good about keeping my blog updated lately.  Looking through my past few posts, I realized that I never even mentioned a few things...

Mary
1.  I was lucky enough to go to Houston for Festival this year!  My dear friend Mary and I had a wonderful time.  We took a full day class with Elly Sienkiewicz.  One of my life goals was to go to her Applique Academy.  Not anymore.  I feel like it's almost sacrilegious to say this, but she was not a good teacher.  She constantly got lost in what she was telling us and seemed very confused.  If someone questioned how she did something, she changed her mind and tried to explain another way, but couldn't quite do that either.  It was hugely disappointing and I felt that I wasted my time and money in taking the class.  She didn't bring enough supplies for everyone in the class, all in all it was a complete disappointment.  It's a good thing I had Mary with me...she's a great teacher and I learned a lot from her!  We did have fun walking around the show and it was so relaxing, spending time with her and her wonderful DH.

2. We really enjoyed the holidays this year.  We loved having the kids all home for opening gifts on Christmas Eve and for dinner on Christmas day.

Ellen, Andrew, Dayna & Grace

3.   I did finish a few small gifts for Christmas.  Grace and Dayna each got a crocheted, slouchy beret.  Here is Dayna's beret...I don't think I took a picture of Grace's, but hers was the same pattern in burgundy.



Ellen was the recipient of this year's "Unfinished Project"...a slouchy hat in a different pattern.  But hers didn't take nearly as long to finish as Dayna's quilt did last year!  I finished it this past weekend, and here it is...



My sister also received a knitted gift this year...a scarf that I started in a class last spring and finished a few weeks before Christmas.  This was my knitting project on the plane coming home from Houston.  It appears I didn't take a picture of it...or if I did I can't find it.  You'll just have to believe me, it was very pretty and so soft!

Since the "Unfinished Gift" has become a family joke, I'll have to figure out who will get it next year!

The boss and I were looking back over 2011 and decided it was a very challenging year.  We learned a lot from some of the experiences we had (like not to take in our kids' stray friends), I have some ongoing health challenges which have followed me into 2012 (do any of you have experience with shingles?  If so, please share your story with me.  I've had them for about a month and a half and never anticipated how debilitating the pain would be.  I'm at the point where I feel kind of stupid saying that I have shingles since it's been so long, but that's what it is.).

I'm looking forward to a very productive 2012, because heaven knows I wasn't very productive in 2011!  More on what I'll be working on in the next post!

Thursday, December 29, 2011

Cleaning Out...

I'm cleaning up my sewing room and dug into the closet. Way, way back I found this tablecloth, which my parents bought me when I graduated high school in 1979. Yes, this is what I wanted as my graduation present!

I remember working on the napkins when I worked at a craft store in college, and working on the tablecloth here and there at night. I swore I would finish it before I got married and had my first house.

Well, it wasn't finished when I got married, but that was fine because the first house didn't have a dining room. Of course it became a joke, the Boss said he wouldn't buy me a house with a dining room until I finished the tablecloth. House #2 didn't have a dining room either. This house, #3, does have a dining room, but we only used it for a dining room briefly. Now that room is set up as a den, which is much more useful to us.

I wonder if this will ever be finished?

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Merry Christmas!


Wishing you all the joys of the season!

Saturday, December 10, 2011

New use...

For the cup holder in the car...it makes a great yarn holder!

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