Leap Year..

"Today isn't real! Do whatever you want."

This morning, a friend posted this on her Facebook. After all, today only happens once every 1460 days. So, maybe I can ignore it. Ok, no school today!

Today, we will prepare for my daughter and my only grandchild to arrive from the west coast. I will make banana bread, prepare wasabi sesame crusted salmon for dinner, and have a long overdue visit with an old friend. For a good part of the day, the deep recesses of my mind will be pondering my plans for the month of March. To be realistic, it's going to be very full. Visits from two of my out-of-state children, a class to teach, quilt group with my lady friends, and the opening of Art Quilt Elements 2012.

Looking back on February, I am pleased with what I accomplished. 

-Bound 5 quilts

-Finished 2 quilt tops 

-Took 2 tops to be quilted

-1 pillowcase for my daughter

-Finished twelve bamboo paintstik panels

-Started the "Overlapped Mountain" quilt

-Continued working on 3 other quilts

My plan for March is to simply keep doing what I'm doing. When I have time, I work (play). That's it. It is also time to prepare my taxes, and I have wedding invitations to work on for my son's wedding this summer...more on that later.

Here is the first panel of the "Overlapped Mountain" blocks. There are 3 here, I have 2 others done, and 3 to go. Then I get to mull over ideas for the center square.

Here are the bamboo Paintstik panels. There are 12 of them. At the moments, I'm thinking about a set of placemats.

I think the most exciting thing about welcoming March is that I will go into my closet and pick another pile of something from my stash for a new project.....Happy Leap Year :)

Late February...

You know that feeling you have after a wonderful meal...full and content? That's how I am feeling as February quickly comes to a close. I finished the "Metro Goes Au Naturel" quilt, prepared the backing, and am ready to take it to the quilter. When the sun comes through my windows, it tends to drown out the true colors of my photos. This quilt is full of incredibly rich beiges, cool greys, and expresso browns set in black.

Here are the final borders...

Although I really don't want to buy more fabric and start new projects other than from my stash, I realistically admit that there will be times when I wimp out and buy something I have become visually attached to. One of the new Westminster fabrics that Cloth and Bobbin got in recently was irresistible to me. I found three coordinating fabrics and came home ready to dig into one of my new books called Japanese Taupe Quilts.

This book has patterns and instructions for 125 9" quilt blocks including 65 patchwork blocks, 40 applique blocks, and 20 combined technique blocks. Crazy, but I've toyed with the idea of working through the book one block per week which would only take me a little less than 2 1/2 years....but think of what I would learn in the process!

The first block I have completed with this fabric is called the "Overlapped Mountain." I think it stands beautifully on its own, but when you have a row of them, the interlocking nature of the block is really fabulous.

As of this moment, my thoughts are to make eight of these blocks set around a single block in the center....maybe applique? We'll see...