And it’s even mostly finished! This is the new project that I started so that I would have a quilt to use for the Swarovski crystals demo at the guild in March, and I do love the way it turned out. I think if I had to do it again, I would use a different batting, probably a very low loft cotton or something like that. I used a chunk of polyester that I had around, and it’s kinda over-puffy, which I usually like, but for an artsy quilt like this it’s not quite right. I think I discovered this once before, maybe, but as I usually don’t do these types of quilts, it didn’t stick in my head. Live and learn, again. That’s what I love about quilting: there’s always more to learn, and sometimes you even get more than one opportunity to learn something!!

My mom liked it so much, she said “Oooooo - I LOVE that one!” and “As a matter of fact, it would be perfect on a wall in the new house…” Since I had thought that I would eventually ask if my Mom and Dad liked it enough to have it, I took the “hitting you over the head with a brickbat” hint (as she put it!) and told her it was hers!

It really needed to be their quilt anyway, since it made me think of the aspen trees in Pine Valley, Utah, where my parents and I used to camp and hike when I was a kid. I do have some fond memories of those camping trips when I was little, even though camping wasn’t (and isn’t) my thing, and I’m positive that I was a complete pain about it all back then (and oh, am I getting paid back in spades by my own daughter now!).

I could hear the breeze in the aspen trees in my head when I looked at this piece, so I quilted tree trunks in the left border area, waving lines in the middle for wind, and aspen leaves in the right border. I will add a few Swarovski crystals to it before it becomes part of Mom and Dad’s collection. I named the quilt Aspens on my Mind. See bigger pics in the Gallery and let me know what you think!

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I spent part of the morning yesterday trying to figure out what to do with the sashing on the UFO Dresden Plate quilt, with no success. I finally started thinking about other projects that I need to do shortly here, and reluctantly put the big quilt aside for a bit. This is why UFO’s are what they are, obviously. I don’t think the UFO will be finished in time for its 11th birthday. No guilt, though, that’s just the way it goes.

Convergence Quilts,
by Ricky Tims

I needed to pitch something together (or decide to finish some other UFO) for a demo that I’m supposed to give at the Black Forest Quilt Guild meeting in February. I’m supposed to show everyone how to embellish with the Swarovski crystals, but at the moment I don’t have anything around that needs crystalizing! I spent some time thinking and digging through other projects in progress, and didn’t really see any that I thought needed crystals in the end (or that I could finish quickly enough to matter), so I grabbed Convergence Quilts by Ricky Tims, and decided to see how quick and easy that process is. I’ve had the book for at least a year, and haven’t gotten around to doing anything with it. Read the rest of this entry »

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We did finally get the tree up last week, and the rest of the house decorated. I didn’t put up as many decorations this year, partly lack of time, and partly because Shadow is still in his idiot kitten phase. We put all the Disney ornaments on the tree since the kids love those, and then we added all of the Christborn, Radko and other glass ornaments that we have. I just love all my bird ornaments! They’re so cool since they have a little clip instead of feet so they sit on top of the branches instead of hanging.

Last year, Dawn and I took a trip to the Christborn factory (they also make Radko ornaments), and bought some many ornaments. We bought so many (and were there so long!) that the owners took us in the back and gave us coffee and cookies, and then brought out the really good stuff! We got to see (and buy) the ornaments that were being manufactured for the next year’s season, the ones that are only just now available in the States. We called them the “bling” ornaments, because they were glass like all the rest, but then they were absolutely encrusted with Swarovski Crystals and beads! I bought a Bling Frog for each of my girls:

He was just so ugly he was cute. I told them to kiss the frog every year when we put up the tree and someday, their prince will come. Then of course I had to have a Bling Bird: Read the rest of this entry »

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