Merry Christmas or Happy New Year???

Judy and Tommy Boy....He is such a good boy!

Ann Fahl's quilts are on display at the LaConner Quilt Museum....look at her website and check out her books...she is WONDERFUL!!

One of Ann Fahl's quilts....looks like my Tommy Boy...except he is all black. When he started to drink out of the toilet a lot, I thought maybe he was diabetic, and he was!

My seahorse quilt just finished, and a detail of the movie fabric Lonestar below.

Greetings, Friends.

How can it be that it is nearly January 1, 2012??? Where does the time go? I guess hours of quilting, pondering new quilts to be made, yardwork (in the summer), teaching quilting, and on it goes. It has been a wonderful year for me and my hubby, and hope your year was great too.

We did decide to un-adopt our alpacas and goats. During the summer we started thinking about winter coming, and getting up and out feeding all the critters in the cold winter mornings....too much work for two old fogies! We found great homes for the goats....they have llamas for friends, and a new home for the alpacas....with a donkey to play with! I am glad they are happily adopted by loving new parents. I do miss them, but we still have our fish to keep us busy during the warm months. They are all hibernating nicely now.

I am busy making a few new quilts for samples for teaching. I posted the seahorse one above. It is from Kaffe's new book...Quilts from Sweden. Soon Sara Nephew will have another book out. I am getting a couple more quilts ready for her January photo shoot. She always comes up with great ideas based on her 60 degree ruler and diamonds.

So far our winter has been quite mild, with a few well below freezing days. No snow yet other than a sprinkle and some very heavy frost. That makes me really happy!

I am going to get started on a new challenge for my guild...a color challenge, and I picked blue/green.....sooooo, guess that means another koi quilt. We can use the complementary color which means orange.....great for koi! I am collecting fabric for that at the moment.

I saw the hoarding marathon on tv, and that keeps me inspired to keep cleaning out stuff in the studio. Gosh, how does one person get so much stuff?? At least there are no dead critters or bugs to deal with. Just a zillion unfinished projects and lots of fabric etc. etc......I am determined to make a dent this winter. I will post some pix as I work along....I need some accountability.

Hope you all have a great week, and are ready to usher in the new year with lots of creative projects. I will post some of mine as they develop.....have fun this week. Judy

Boo Boo Kitty

Tommy Boy with his bandage after his IV from his seizure....Me with Tommy Boy...he is sooo cute!! Where it was shaved, he looks like a poodle...so now I call him Poodle Paw!

What about that Hawaiian quilt made by Geoff Hamada of Seattle...he is a pro at Hawaiian quilts...all by hand....amazing.

Tommy Boy was hiding under our Edison victrola...he thinks he is sooo clever!

Greetings...it has been way tooo long since I have written. Between trying to get some quilts done and nearly losing my Tommy Boy cat to a diabetic seizure, it has been a hectic few weeks.

One rainy night we had to rush our cat to the all nite vet....he had a terrible seizure from low blood sugar...12....we got him through the night and to our regular vet the next morning. Now we have taken him off the insulin altogether and are just feeding him his regular food...for diabetic cats, that is. He loves it and has done very well. No more insulin shots, just his food. He wants to go outside again and runs through the house like he used to, so hopefully we can keep him in good shape with just the diet. The vet said cats will sometimes reverse and stay in control with just their food....gosh, just like people, I guess. He sure did scare us with that adventure. We still watch him to make sure he seems ok....he is a very nice cat, and has been a great pet! I love my Tommy Boy.

I have done quite a few customer quilts these past few weeks, and have just 2 more Freddy quilts left to do....more coming. She is sooooo prolific....I love to quilt her quilts. They are always so cheery and happy, too.

I have begun two more lone stars, and mostly finished one small Christmas one. Just a few borders and finishing off to do.

Saw a fabulous exhibit at the museum of Ann Fahl quilts....oh, WOW....what a masterpiece collection that was...plan to go back again and again. You can take pictures, so I will try to post a few for you all to enjoy. I would love to take a class from her some time.

Can't believe Thanksgiving is day after tomorrow. We have soooo very much to be thankful for. Hope you have a wonderful holiday, too. I plan to make a cannoli cheesecake. If it turns out good, I will post the recipe. I LOVE cannolis. I used to make them from scratch when I lived on the east coast. I had lots of Italian cooking coaches back there. Well, enough about cannolis....gotta go quilt, and piece some more on a lonestart....I hope you all have a most wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving....love, jude

Frogs in the Filter

One of the great and colorful lonestars being created in class. THis one from my class in CT.

My very organized shelves of color fabric! I do have some method to my madness!

Leftover binding pieces in a pile...you can use them for other quilts...they don't always have to match.

SOme of the pond pipes etc. that the frogs went through....our new UV filter is there too.

One of my 16 lonestars...this one is chickens, of course!

Good morning all.....

Another gray day in WA, with no sun in sight. Thankfully I am not still in CT where my friends and family are buried in a foot of snow with virtually no power or phones. I remember those days only too well, and am so glad I have moved out here, where snow is not such a problem!

We have been getting ready to put the fish to bed for the winter....they are no longer fed, and mostly just hanging around below the surface in suspended animation! I cannot feed them till next April or May. It is quite amazing how they hibernate all winter long.

My hubby was checking the pump filter last week, the water was running slower than usual.....imagine his surprise when he opened the pump filter to find 3 BIG frogs packed in there! It gave him quite a shock, and when he dumped them out, off they hopped. That had to have been some wild ride for them....over the waterfall, down the stream, another waterfall, to the bottom of the big pond, then into the bottom drains....known as the koi toilets!!, and then through the 4" pipes, up about 5 feet into 2" pipes and through the flapper into the filter....wow. I get worn out just thinking about it. I cannot believe they survived. They were only in there no more than a week, as we checked it a week before finding them. I hope they don't do the same silly trick again. Now we will disconnect most of the equipment and put it in the barn for the winter. Maybe this coming spring we will get some baby koi at last. I would love to have some "born" in our pond.

Well, other than frog stories, I haven't got much to report...just finished the last of the Kaffe Fassett books, so you can be on the lookout for them in the near future. I still have about 5 more to do for Freddy Moran....bright and colorful, of course, and then all the others lined up. Right now Stephanie's big pink elephant is nearing completion....she has been enamoured of the block letters pieced into quilts of late. This is a totally fun quilt and BIG at that. I have started 3 more lone stars, and taught a class Saturday with 11 gals. They had great fabric, so it will be quite a collection of lonestars when they are all finished. IT would make a great show.

In the meantime, today more quilting and making some applesauce for the freezer is on my schedule...hope you get lots done today, too....love, judy

Back from MQX

This quilt was done on a Bernina and Best of Show....little tea pots quilted in, tiny little stitching in the background areas...applique and a3-D bows on the little spoons...how cute it was...ILOVED this one, even though it is not my type as a rule....The quilter did a fabulous job.

This piece was very wide and not so tall, with all little people appliqued and looking at quilts which were all little mini pieced quilts...what an effort...wow....I can't believe people can make such creative and wonderful pieces. I can't get into the applique thing, but sure am impressed by those who do.

Close-ups of Dusty's dragon koi....so neat....small but threadwork was fantastic. He also taught the class on glow in the dark thread. That was fun to see, too.

Hi all....finally back to business after spending 4 days at MQX...the machine quilting conference in Portland. Saw a few old friends, and took about 5 classes. I especially enjoyed the one I took from Norma Riehm....she makes fun pieces with black tulle on top and fun stuff in between the quilt and tulle. Even better if you like to embellish!

Sue Patten's ZenSuedles was fun....I even had to mark a quilt..yikes. I never mark, but now have a piece to quilt when the opportunity presents itself. It gave me some inspiration to get going on my own pieces, and some ideas for Asilomar when I teach there in June.

I stayed with my friend Desma in Rainier, OR. We had a great time at the conference, including buying some yummy donuts at VooDoo Donuts near the convention center.....way too yummy, and fattening. I couldn't eat them too often.

THere was a gift show going on next to our conference, so I got some great scarves really cheap, and great watch...red, white and blue, of course! I hope they are there next year, too. It reminded me of all the great gift shows I went to at Jacob Javitz in New York City with my boss at Connecticut Memories. Lots of goodies there, and so much eye candy!

The quilts at the show in Portland were fabulous, and beautifully quilted...some on domestic machines, including the best of show. It surely does make you want to go home a create your masterpiece. I will try to post some for you to see...I likely won't know the maker, but rest assurred...I did not make them! Hope you get some quilting time in this week, too.....love, jude

Off to Portland and MQX

These are views of Freddy's latest quilt....I have about 5 more to do, and they make me soooooo happy to quilt...so cheery!

Hi all...this morning I leave on the train to meet my friend Desma in Kelso/Longview....we are going to spend the week taking classes for machine quilting at the big MQX machine conference. This will be the first year I have not taught....but it is a new conference so should be interesting.

Our Kitty boy Tommy is doing well, and poor Ken will have to take him to the vet at the end of the week...but he is good and just sits in the car and behaves very well!

I am still playing with quilting on the featherweight which is great fun, and will have time today on the train to work out some things for Asilomar this June. I will give you all a report of the conference and hopefully bring back some pix of all those gorgeous quilts. Have a great week.....jude

Good check-up

This is my Tommy Boy...isn't he a handsome fellow? He can be quite a character when he feels good....
The Lion Brand yarn store in NYC had these crocheted cannolis made up for a display....no pattern, but a clever crocheter can make them!...or how about a bowl of crocheted salad??? Pretty clever. The colorful quilt at the right is from the Bumblebeans gal...they had some on display in Manhattan when I was there...Enjoy!

HI....well, we just got back from the vet...that would be Tommy Boy and me.....his blood sugar is now 394. That is going in the right direction since we started over 600. It is amazing that cats can get diabetes and have to take insulin. The vet cat is a pretty one....white, grey and black with long hair. He is 20 years old. Well, our old guy is starting to feel better....he hangs around us more now, and wants to go outside more.

Well, just mailed Kaffe and Liza's last book quilt....I think it is the last one....Rice Bowls...pretty neat, too. I can't wait to see this book. They are always so beautiful with exquisite photos. It will be out pretty soon I think. The last newest, Quilts in Sweden is pretty neat....check out the bar code quilt. I think I want to make that one among others!

oday we have sun, unlike yesterday when the rains gushed down for a couple hours. I felt like there was a giant water faucet over my studio, on, off, and on again. Gosh, It was a gullywasher! Pretty soon we will have to drain the pond down if this keeps up.

Today I will put up Freddy's Gee's Bend style quilt in red, black and white. It should be a graphic one for sure. I am teaching this afternoon at Pacific Fabric...the Lone Star. I am also starting another lone star for me! I don't think I have enough. This one is in blacks, pinks, lime greens and white. I will post a picture next time so you can see those FAB colors, too. For today I think I will post a few more quilts and such from my New York trip...I think some of them will be from Bumblebeans....check her website. I don't remember how to do links, so you will just have to check for yourself. Where is my guru, Sharon??? I got a notice on the blog about some new picture stuff. Guess I will try to figure that out. Oh, my.....that could be interesting.
Well, gotta go and pin up Freddy's quilt and also do a small baby quilt for a shower. Hope you all have a great day and some quilting done, too......love, jude

Fall is in the Air

Freddy's lone star tablecloth...pretty cheery, eh?

another of Freddy's tablecloths.....that should brighten up any meal!
This quilt was by Jo Baner of Evergreen Quilters in Bellingham's show last week. It was really much nicer than the picture shows.

On of my students from CT.....Martha Quizhpi....made this piece....this is a closeup of the quilt, as is the other picture as well. Martha does some beautiful work.

Hi all....today it is raining and the past week or so it seems like it is getting much cooler in the mornings and evenings. I guess all that hot August and September weather will soon be over, and fall will be in full swing.

This last week I took my Tommy Boy kitty to the vet as he was drinking LOTS of water and using his litter box way too much....the vet said his blood count was 600 and it should be about 100 for cats....so he is now a confirmed diabetic. I am giving him shots twice a day. I guess it is a good think we gave our alpacas and goats to great new homes so I can concentrate on the cat! He is a great patient and doesn't fuss a bit when I give him a shot. It seems like he is perking up already, but I am sure it is way too soon for that. I hope he gets back to his perky self. I am not sure of his age, but I think he is about 14.

Well, finished and mailed two of Freddy's table cloth quilts yesterday and am working on my friend Marilyn's 30's quilts now...she loves the 30's fabrics! I have had her pieces way too long, and with the books all finished, I can get back to the other quilts waiting in line. I almost pinned up one of mine yesterday, but realized I better not...I want to do my Ooooh La La quilt...it is beautiful Parisian pin-up girls...eiffel towers and other French designs. It is a great lone star.

I am going to get some more machine quilting samples ready for Asilomar, and try to post some of them. In the meantime, guess I better feed the fishies and get to work....more later...Judy

Quilt Shows

My challenge quilt for the Leavenworth show....Mountains of Fabric! I made this one while on the cruise....we were rocking and rolling pretty good that night!

I got this picture at a show in New York while I was there teaching.

Our annual outdoor quilt show and barbecue...It is always fun. You should try it too.

One of my chicken quilts made without a pattern...cut and paste!

This summer was a great one for quilt shows. In July we had our Busy Bee Quilt Show. It is always a great one...as our guild has so many creative and talented quilters. Our challenge this year had to be a quilt with a spiderweb some place visible.....soooo, I used one of my woven pieces and added koi, of course. All in all, it turned out pretty good. Now I have another sample for my woven quilt classes!! Sadly, attendance was down, as it seems to be in all of our guild shows. I think the economy has had an impact, as well as the quilting world in general seems to be slowing down a bit. I still have some classes to teach each quarter, so I am grateful for that, as I really love to teach quilting and get new people involved in this wonderful world.

In August was the APWQ quilt show in Tacoma. That was a first for this show, as in the past it had been in Seattle. The quilts were just beyond beautiful.....so creative, and many were of the "artsy" variety, which I LOVE. Got lots of pictures, and visited the vendors. My little challenge quilt was in the show, and I later learned it took a second place ribbon with the viewers. That is my favorite kind of ribbon.

Today I will be taking 2 quilts to the La Conner Museum for their up-coming show. That always proves to be a great weekend....check the web to see information about that show the first weekend of October.

My quilting buddy Liz and I went up to Leavenworth, WA to see their show last week....another collection of great quilts. I never cease to marvel at the creativity found in the quilt world. I ideas are endless, and the craftsmanship so meticulous and stitched with such love. I am so glad I am a part of this wonderful world. Well, speaking of quilting, I have a beauty on the frame this morning that needs to be finished before I leave for the Museum....happy quilting to you all.....jude

Pictures of the Kids

Bye Bye Goat Girls and Alpacas

We made the big decision and found new homes for our sweet critters. I guess with winter coming and the thought of tromping through the mud and snow to feed everyone got to be too much for these two old fogies. We found great homes for the goats, our neighbors' friends....they even have llamas, so the goat girls are right at home and have settled in nicely with a new pecking order, yet. Seems our bossy goat is now at the bottom of the new pecking order at her new home! The alpacas are back on Camano Island, with some donkeys for playmates. I miss them a lot, but now we have the neighbors goats grazing in our yard when they want...we opened the fence for them to go back and forth. Well, enough about the sad story of giving up or critters. Now we are just concentrating on our Kitty Boy and the Fish!
We are still trying to figure out the flow on our pond through the new UV filter, but I think with the very hot weather, we are growing algae faster than the UV can kill it off.
I tried to take a 3-point landing head first into the stream a couple days ago. Just trying to pick a few weeds out and lost my balance. Boy, I found muscles I didn't know I had after that episode. I did not get a bath...lucky for me!
Since the cruise I have been trying to finish up as much as possible for my customers...just sent off the last of the book quilts to Liza Lucy yesterday....at least I think it was the last. This should be a great book, too.....photos will be taken in Bulgaria I think....wow, wish I could go along and be a gohper for them.
Today my little Goof Balls group comes over for sewing, and hanging out. I got some fun new ideas to show them, and hopefully we can finish up some things as well.....I will have to share about the Raku beach party we had last weekend on the next post. In the meantime, hope you all are enjoying the fall days and great weather before we have to snuggle up for the winter season. Will write soon.....judy

More summer news!

I had beautiful red poppies in my garden again this year. It was the second year for them. I hope I can get them to bloom as well next year.

Freddy Moran's quilt. I always have fun quilting her quilts. They are soooo happy and colorful. I am doing a huge lonestar tomorrow. She has given me permission to post her pix, so I can let you enjoy them, too.

I had fun taking pictures of some of my thread. I LOVE thread.

more thread.

Hi again...I cannot believe I am writing two days in a row. This one will be a little shorter. I want to post a few pix from some quilts and my lovely red poppies.

I had a scarey moment a couple days ago when my Gammill was dead as a door nail, so to speak. After trying everything I knew to do, I called Jack Boersma....a Gammill dealer in OR...also a great quilt shop....and he suggested I change out the back switch...when I opened up the switch, there it was...a wire disconnected...so after soldering it back, re-attaching the switch....just like magic...my motor was humming. Ya gotta love that sound. Thanks, Jack!

Today I will quilt a large batik for my friend Becky in CT. Then back to Freddy's pile! We have a great sunny day here today, so that will make it pleasant. I can enjoy that when I take my fish feeding breaks. My fishy-boys look so beautiful and healthy. They sure can eat.

Well, gotta get going for now. Judy

Some more Pix

All of these quilts were from my guild in New York...the Northern Star Quilt Guild. I even got to do a trunk show for them at their show. It is quite a large regional show, and the gals make great quilts as you can see.

I guess I am rusty. I have some more pictures to post, so will try now. I just did not want to lose all that writing. I still cannot figure out why there is so much space between my paragraphs with a blog...when I write it, everything is all close, with no spaces between....gosh, blogging is too complicated for my brain!! Judy

BACK TO BLOGGIING!!

Greetings to anyone who is still out there. Can it be that it has been so many months since I have written on myblog.?? I don't think I have ever been this busy in years.

I had been working on Kaffe and Liza's new books, and it seemed that the pile of quilts only got higher the more I quilted. But, finally, the first week of August, I got the last one in the studio out to Liza....still a couple more coming I think.

I hope you will have a look at the new one...Quilts from Sweden....anyway, the quilts were all photographed in Sweden, and there are some great projects to make, not to mention fabulous settings for the pictures.

Well, my trip to CT and NY was great fun, especially hanging out with all my quilting buddies. And teaching at the City Quilter in New York City was fabulous. I met some great people there, and they did a wonderful job at machine quilting. Cathy has opened a great little gallery in part of her shop as well, so you might look them up on-line...the City Quilter in New York City. The gallery changes the exhibit so you get a really great look at some creative quilts by master artists.

The one day we went to the City to hang out was the biggest rain of the century. We looked like a couple of drowned rats, and it did not make walking around New York much fun, so we took a cab everywhere. I most sadly missed the big Red and White exhibit by one week. I hear that it may be a travelling show in the future, and if it is....you MUST see it.

My friend Becky owns the Quilter's Corner in New Milford, CT. You can check it out on-line too. I love her shop with all its bright and funky fabrics. I miss stopping in on a regular basis. On a sadder note, two shops in CT had to close while I was back there. A sign of the times I guess...so we have to support our shops as much as possible. I think they are all struggling a bit these days. I am happy to have some local shops near me where I can still teach. As a matter of fact I am teaching at one today, The Quiltmaker's Shoppe in Arlington, WA. Today's class is on color. It should be fun, since I don't get technical with color wheels and such!

Our summer was slow in coming to WA, but finally we have been blessed with some sunny days. My weeds were as tall as me this year, but some of them have finally been pulled.

I hope your summer was fun....I will write about my big exciting Featherweight Cruise on the next post. For now, gotta go and quilt on Stephie's quilt....she has a fabulous blog. I will try to get her blog to you next time. Have a great day.....judy

Off to the Big Apple and CT

This is my second try...the first time I bumped a key and boom....blog posted....I just can't get the hang of this blog stuff. I have totally given up on

facebook. This is my kitty ....Tommy Boy. What a handsome fellow, and a real character, to boot. He came with the house, and the older he gets the lazier he is. He mostly sleeps and eats...except when he takes a notion to whine to go outside at 5 in the morning. He does catch gophers, so he is a good hunter. I wish I could train him to pull dandelions and other weeds.

Today I leave for CT and New York. I will be teaching at the City Quilter in New York, so will be sure to get some pix of that fabulous shop.

It looks like the cruise to Alaska is moving along fine. I hope some of you will be able to come along with us. It is a featherweight cruise, and you can check it out at the Parkland Parish website. They are a great shop in Tacoma, WA. Sorry, but my blog skills are not good enough to post a link. I did once, but that was when Sharon was here to help!

I have been madly trying to get the book quilts out before leaving, but still have several more to go. Freddy Moran sent several and Kaffe and Liza too. They are really neat ones. Freddy is using lots of Kaffe fabric lately. I am starting a new kaffe quilt from the Provence book....it is called Mexican Party...and very fun and colorful. JUst my style.

I have begun to feed the koi once in awhile. Our weather is still pretty cool, but the water temp is up around 50, so that should be pretty safe for them to eat. I hope by the time I get home from back east, the weather will be warm enough to feed them daily. I love to feed and watch them.

I am working on another lone star, cowboy style this time. I will post a picture of it as I finish it. I plan to use it in CT when I teach the lone star there. I am also working on another lone star with funky Paris fabric....it is very fun...Timeless Treasures I think. It will give me a chance to put lots of funky fun colors together in the star points. I think I will make more pieces in each segment of the star, and use the Paris fabric for the background pieces.

Well, guess I better get back to packing for the big trip. FLying can be such a hassle these days. I am taking the red eye, so I don't waste a day flying. In the meantime I hope you all have a fun couple weeks enjoying spring, if ever it gets here.....judy