Happy New Year

I didn't intend to be take such a long blog break, but with work and the crazy run up to the holidays and then taking time off to be with the kids - I needed some time to recharge my batteries.

Getting ready for the new year, I couldn't resist picking up some new fabrics.

Axel had to get in the shot

These are from Peapod Fabrics, a wonderful little independent fabric store in town.  I also order the  blues pictured below via the 'net about a month ago.

More pretty blues

Lately, I've been really digging indigo blues and yellow-golds.  I decided to make a very good friend a quilt in this color scheme (she has been dropping hints that she wants a quilt).  She also told me she likes blue, but then today she mentioned she wanted to get rid of the blues in her bedroom and go with green and rust!  Now I'm not sure what to do ...

I have been steadily working on the star quilt (see last post) but it's still all in pieces so no new pictures to share.  This has been the year of the "WIP", with only a couple of small completed quilts to brag about.  Mainly, the work I've put into my Farmer's Wife sampler has left little time for other projects.  I miss that sense of completion, but I also need to remind myself to be patient.  It's all about the process;  I could easily have pumped out several "easy" quilts with large piecing and minimal quilting if I  wanted to.  But I've enjoyed learning new techniques and working at a slower pace this year.  

I'm also thinking of moving in a different direction in this new year.  In October, I took a landscape quilting class with Kathy McNeil that made me think differently about the craft of quilting.  I like the idea of using fabric as a tool (like paint) instead of the emphasis on sewing with designer fabric names and reproducing popular quilting designs. 

Wishing everyone health and happiness in the New Year!

My daughter sunbathing in Golden Gate Park
December 28, 2011