Spring will come...

Like it or not, Spring will come.  I for one cannot wait.  It wasn't the snow we had, or the cold we had but the number of months we had them that bothered me this year.  A winter that begins in November and extends through March is just too long.  I'm yearning for the garden--whenever the ice melts long enough for me to get there...

 I'm busy these days working on a new program with my friend Beth.  Called "Money, Myth, and Madder: Women and Quilting During the Civil War," we are launching the program at Colonial Quilters Quilt Show on May 3.  Until then, I'll probably be wrapped up with work and preparation and probably won't be posting much.

Don't forget to turn your clocks ahead tonight before you go to bed!  This little quilt top is from my Storytime Stitches program:

THINK SPRING!!!

Lingering snow showers

The sky is falling...or rather, buildings have been collapsing because of the weight of the snow on roofs.  My roofer says the steep pitch of our roof is saving us but he has to shovel his own roof.  Every few hours we get these updates on businesses that are evacuated because of strain on buildings.  Meanwhile, we had more snow this morning.  I'm just grateful the sun is out now.  The more we can melt, the better, since we are expecting ice storms tomorrow.

 Last night I finished this mini quilt:

 It's for our Civil War program in May.

I'll go back to sewing after my doctor's appointment.  Tomorrow is a big paperwork day so I have to get some sewing therapy in today.

Stay warm and safe!

Snow, snow go away....

My cousin posted this funny thing on facebook yesterday :)

We are doing what we can to cope with the snow.  Teddy doesn't mind it all, despite his bad hip, he thinks it is wonderful stuff.

 Seamus isn't so enamored but does enjoy playing ball despite the snow.

 Teddy has learned to play ball himself, burying the ball and then excitedly digging it out...

Seamus grabs a towel, builds a nest, and curls up to warm and dry out.   

Hope you all are staying safe and warm!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Valentine's Day greetings from us to you!

We are recovering from 19 inches of snow we got yesterday.  

This might be a more appropriate valentine:

 But I love my poodles.  How bad was it? Well here we are about midday yesterday:

Teddy is a 75 lb. dog and yes, the snow was that high.  Higher now actually since it snowed until after we went to bed last night.  Seamus isn't very fond of the snow.  He comes in and pulls towels out of his basket and builds a little towel nest:

We hope you are staying warm and safe!  Have a wonderful Valentine's Day!

Happy Birthday Helena!

Yesterday my granddaughter Helena turned 10.  Where did the time go?  She had a wonderful birthday party this weekend with a  "Dr. Who" theme.  She loves the show and had an overnight on Saturday night. Some fun uses of her theme with the "tardis" blue phone booth:

 screen door was decorated

 gift bags

Happy Birthday Helena :)

Baby quilt completed

I've been dawdling on this quilt, only excuse is I've had a lot of other work to complete for a program I'm writing with Beth Bacher.  Anyway this is done and I can mail off this present for my cousin David's new baby.  The photos are off because it is (still again) storming outside.  We had snow and mostly ice last night and are still battling freezing rain here.  But focus on positive things, here is the disappearing 9 patch I made for baby Sofia :)

  I love Sandra Boynton and couldn't resist picking up a book for her package...and this little outfit:

 Because I loved this little bunny on it:

We've been told we are not out of the woods for power outages so I'm crossing my fingers that we still electricified here.  For now, I'm going to the sewing room and get some more sewing done! :)

Stay safe and warm!

Snow Day!

"A snow day literally and figuratively falls from the sky, unbidden, and seems like a thing of wonder."  --Susan Orlean

We are expecting another 10-12 inches of snow today and already have 4 inches on the ground! 

 It's miraculous that my husband got home last night and is here to shovel.   I am lobbying for him to work from home since the highways are all clogged with accidents.   Hope you all are staying safe and warm!  Snow on!

dog house quilt

Yeh we got more snow in the northeast.  This morning the news showed folks sledding down the steps of the Philadelphia Art Museum--the same place you saw Rocky jump up and down in the first Rocky movie.

I finished another UFO.  This quilt uses up all the dog house blocks I made a few years back.  I like it a lot~

Stay warm and safe!

First projects of 2014

I was cleaning up scraps this past Autumn when two different fabrics caught my eye.  One was a brick pattern that I used to make a tote for my friend Carol.  The other was some leftover scraps of cat fabric I used for Halloween projects for my nieces.  You can see the projects here.  Anyway, I fancied the bricks with the cat and since my son and daughter-in-law live in a city, I thought I would merge the pieces together for a project.  I'm on a mission to use up scraps instead of store them so this was a perfect time to put that philosophy in practice.  I don't usually title my projects but this one I do call "Mitz in the City".  Mitzi is Peter and Jessica's cat:

Here is the tablerunner I made for them:

 Oh and I used up the chards leftover to make a mugrug too:

Personally, I'm not a big fan of orange and I am not sure if Jessica is either but I thought it would be nice for her table in Autumn.  Since Valentine's Day is approaching, I made it reversable for that holiday:

I'll give it to them tomorrow.  They are coming up to our town because Peter's comedy group is doing a gig at the Sands or the casino's or something tonight.  I know I better give it to them this weekend because with our weather, who knows when I will see them again!  Anyway, have a safe and happy day!