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Here is a bird's nest already to go for some lucky bird...we had snow flurries again today...leaving a slushy mess, so I guess we won't have any new tenants for awhile. Maybe they won't use the same next two years in a row!

This is a piece of fabric I dyed for my guild challenge. We picked a color ship...I chose blue/green. We could also use tints and shades of the complement. This will be the background. I guess you have figured out I hope to make koi and water lilies...we will see how it turns out. I may spray some darker blue green dye in the lower right corner...just a taste!

Oh, Stephie..another winner. Stephie will be posting the whole quilt on her blog I think...check it out. It is for a challenge.

Well, today we had some slushy snow flurries and cold weather. I am getting ready for some sunshine and warm weather. I miss feeding my koi. I even miss going out in the snow and feeding the alpacas and goats...well, maybe a little bit.

I met a great gal on the phone yesterday....Julie, from Florida....she is going to send me a quilt inspired by the fabulous red and white show from New York last spring. It was fun chatting with here...we discovered we are both Michiganders and love to travel, and quilt, of course. Quilting is the BEST for meeting wonderful people. We have grand opportunities to make friends all over the world, and are even blessed by meeting in person sometimes. I would love to meet Julie! And then I met Jean from Jeancreates...she has a great blog, too.

Well, I have been working on a floral quilt for my friend, Mick....another great quilter. Yesterday I spent most of the day working on my wholecloth thread play for the guild show. I still have lots to do, but it is finally getting near done. Then just the color challenge!

Well, guess I better eat some leftover spaghetti for lunch and get back to work. Too much to do and to little time.....have a great day....jude

Good Morning!

My Kaffe Fassett Lightning quilt in blues.....it will be used for a teaching sample. I also finished piecing another sample with Laurel Burch Flying Colors...You can never have too many lone stars...next is a peacock lonestar. I can quilt peacock feathers in the border!

Hi all...it is a good morning...no sun, but just a good morning. Every morning is a good morning! And since I was able to post pix on my website yesterday, I was a happy girl. Jan came and helped me...the pictures posted right up. I was trying to add some pictures of my students' work for my Asilomar/Empty Spools page. I hope to add more all by myself. That will really be a big deal if I can do that. I also figured out how to add a link to my blog...so I added Stephie's and Jeancreates. Today I will add Opal's and hope you check out her very creative work.

Today I have to work on my guild show quilt for awhile, and then get back to my customer quilts.

I checked the koi yesterday, but they were all way down hiding. Too cold, and it was. Our old pond looks like it is almost back to normal...I have to lower the water lilies so they don't get too dried out. It looks like they are starting to send out shoots already. But we had snow Sunday morning again...only about an inch, but it seems like the plants are raring to go.

Well, guess I better get going myself...have a great day...judy

YIPPPPEEEEEEE!!!

Ok...what little mouse got into that red velvet cupcake....someone had to make sure it wasn't tasted ok...I made red velvet cupcakes (Paula Deen's recipe on-line) and also yummy coconut cupcakes from the Barefoot Contessa...also on-line...they are the most delish ever...try them for yourself....

I finally got some pix posted....what a fiasco....I think I will just stick to the quilting. It is soooo much easier. I spoke with Freddy yesterday, and Gwen Marston was visiting. I bet we will have some new quilts soon. I think Gwen is teaching here in the Northwest soon. Stephie is signed up for a class...Quiltworks Northwest, I think...check Gwen's schedule on line.

I will post a few more pictures for celebration and then get to the studio for an hour's quilting. Most of yesterday's inch of snow seems to be melting away. Have a great day...judy

Trying again....

My water lily project in Barbara Shapel's mystery class...FUN

Pictures of the big Haystack rock and the tide pool. That is the first time I had ever walked in a tide pool and there were actual living starfish stuck on the rocks. Pretty neat!!

Let's not give up....I think it is about the 5th try...oh, my!

Second try....

OK...here we go again...after writing a very clever blog and trying to post pictures....everything disappeared. I am about to give up...so this time my clever blog will have to wait till tomorrow when I have more time!
I do want to say thanks to Jean....I met Jean in my class last weekend...what a great gal...and check out her fabulous blog... jeancreates.blogspot.com
I think she does recipes too, but I couldn't figure that part out yet. She wrote some very kind words about yours truly...thanks a million, Jean. I need you for PR for my Empty Spools Seminar classes in June. Hey, girls, check our Jean's blog.
I will try to post a few pix from that class in a couple days. Now back to another try at posting the Cannon Beach pix.....have a great day. (My website guru, Jan, will soon be here to help me with my website, and as you probably can tell, I need all the help I can get!!!) Have a great day...judy

Pictures from the Beach

Since our lovely computer seems to be having issues, I will post some pictures separately....these are from out trip to Cannon Beach, as well as some quilts.....I hope I can get them to work! Judy
Looks like we are still having issues...I will try again tomorow.....hope your computer is working OK....jude

Is it Spring Yet......

Greetings! I keep hoping for spring, and it never seems to get here. The sunny days here have been few and far between, and once in awhile when the weather gets up to 50 I get all excited....so do the koi. I see my fish coming to the top hoping for some fish kibble to drop in their little mouths. They have a long wait till April at least!

Our neighbor's new little black lab puppy is getting big...he is too fat now to squeeze through the fencing. His tail wags fast, like an airplane propeller. He is cute, and named Zorro, appropriate for a black dog, I think.

I have been busy quilting and actually finished one of mine today...the quilting part, that is. Tomorrow I will have to sleeve it and get the binding on. It is for the QA show in March. I still have one whole one to start and finish, and one small wall hanging to finish quilting. At least I know what the not started one is going to be in my head!

I finished all of Freddy Moran's pieces that I had, and some others that were waiting. A couple weekends ago a few of us went to Cannon Beach, OR for a Barbara Shapel workshop...a mystery quilt. It was water lilies, which was what I was hoping for. Now all I have to do is get the back ready and quilt the two together. That will have to wait for some other things to get done first.

The weather was great, and I got to walk out to the big Haystack Rock and see star fish stuck to the sides of the rocks in the tidepool. I had never seen that before, and it was quite wonderful. The sunsets were beautiful. Of course we had to check out the Center Diamond Quilt shop, which has the most fabulous, funky fabric, and oodles of batiks. Check out her website for yourself.

I had fun teaching at the Mt. Si quilt shop in North Bend, WA last weekend. What a great shop...lots of fabulous fabric. I hope to go back there in a couple months to teach some more classes. They will be posted on my website, as well as my blog if all goes well!

Today we had a suprise birthday party for my friend Liz.....she is ????? years old.....young.....we all made her a block for a remembrance. Now she can finishs the quilt for the Busy Bee Show in July.

Well, that is about all I have been up to lately....I just had to go on-line for some red velvet cake recipes...it is my turn for treats tomorrow nite at guild. If they turn out wonderful, I will take a picture and post it next time.....in the meanwhile, I hope you all have a great week....happy quilting.... Judy