Four and Twenty Black-birds

Greetings from freezing cold WA....we have had freezing weather the past few days with a dusting of snow....my bird feeders are getting a workout with all those cold little birds looking for some lunch.

We have had hundreds of red-winged blackbirds in the yard...they fly in a cloud, all in unison, and eat bugs on the ground....then fly to the feeders for sunflower seeds for dessert. It is quite a sight, with the red of their wings flashing brightly as they fly around. I have been planning to make a quilt with red-winged black birds and flowers...but they flew so quickly I couldn't get a good picture.

Our Christmas was interrupted with Ken's cold...so we stayed home and I quilted and dug around in the studio. He is all better now, so we leave shortly for my brother's to spend New Year's. The sun is shining brightly even though it is very cold, in the teens.

The fish pond is frozen over, but the critters seem to take it all in stride. They don't even go into their little shelters.

We have much to be thankful for over this season, and hope you all have a wonderful holiday and bright and healthy new year. I hope to have some new quilts to post next week.

The quilt pictured is from my friend Lori. It was huge, but I got to quilt lots of my designs in....it was a fun quilt.

In the meantime...HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL. judy

Where's the ARK??

This Saturday was our Longarm meeting and we had the pleasure of going to Jo Ann Blade's beautifully decorated for Christmas home. I posted a few pix including a sideways teddy...I don't know how to flip things....sorry. Where is my guru?? This past weekend was flood zone here in our area. My friend Liz had to call the fire department and get them rescued by boat....they are safe and dry in a motel in Darrington, WA. I didn't even know Darrington had a motel...I think they will get back home today, and thankfully the water just missed getting high enough to get into the house. They did move their cars to higher ground.

The rains finally have stopped, and our pond is way down since Ken had to pump out lots of water. It was just a couple inches from the top, and with the rain and warmer weather the fish were getting a bit active. It will be raining all week off and on I guess. Tomorrow my Goofballs come and we will make a field trip to OVer the Rainbow shop on Camano Island...be sure to check it out on the web...overrainbow.com I don't remember how to link, so you will have to do it the old fashioned way. They have such great fabric. I am following my guru's advice and putting the pictures on first....I need to put more but wonder if everything will get all messed up...so guess I better just send you all this little note for now, and more pix later. IN the meantime, I hope you all have a safe and dry winter, at least for awhile....and minimal snow for those of you who live in the snow belt. I guess it is hard to escape totally in those climes...I remember from MI and CT.....

I am trying to get my schedule ready to post on my website as soon as Jan gets back from her lovely trip down the Danube for a Victorian Christmas. Have fun quilting, and will write more later...judy

It's freeeeezing!!

two more lone stars...one out of some great Christmas fabric and the other from a newer line of grapes in fall colors...pretty neat. I want to make one with oriental koi fabric and some more with Christmas fabric.

The flag was frozen the moring we left Graham, WA at my brother's ....the Saturday after Thanksgiving.....

HI to all you hardy souls out there....seems like all we get here is freezing weather every nite and frosty windows and ground every morning. THe critters are all huddled up against the fence waiting for their breakfast. Poor Brooklyn is as the bottom of the pecking order, and she gets the leftovers!

I am working on my winter teaching schedule which I hope to post on my website in the next couple weeks....with the help of my website guru Jan. She loves to do that stuff...good thing, cuz I hate that stuff and don't know how to do it anyway. I have a beautiful quilt of hers to do soon....it is a raw edge floral, and will be fun to decorate with thread. Watch the blog and I will post it when it is finished.

We are right in the swing with all the guild Christmas parties...2 down and 3 more to go, as well as our museum board lunch and big meeting this month. Otherwise pretty quiet and time to quilt some of my stuff I hope.

Then, I plan to dig out the studio...I guess I should post before and after pix....it just seems like getting to the after is always so hard.

Guess I will post a couple of my latest quilts on today's blog, and then get on to some more lone stars. I am totally taken with that block, and have been collecting any lone star designs that catch my eye, especially if they are a bit more unusual. Just hope I have time to make all the ones that intrigue me. Hope you all have a warm and happy day.....till later...judy