Soar on wings like eagles.

A nesting pair of bald eagles nesting near Johnson City TN

What do you know about eagles? Sad to say, I don't know much. Just that when I see one in flight, I am awestruck. So I snooped in google for information. There were 2 interesting facts I didn't know. First, not only do they hunt for prey with keen vision and great skill, they don't mind a good mugging now and then. Why work, when you can take the spoils of someone else's endeavor? What was really surprising to me, was that eagles love to play. They have been witnessed using various objects, including empty plastic bottles, as toys. One person reported seeing 6 eagles in flight, gleefully passing a stick from one to the other. Cool.

East Tennessee State University is following this darling couple with a live camera feed. They have eggs in the nest that should be hatching soon. When I checked the cam just now, they were eating supper. Check them out at: ETSU Live Eagle Cam.

News from the Studio

Just shoot me!

When it comes to quilting, I am a project buyer. I don't keep a stash. I'm also a one-project-at-a-time kinda girl. At least I thought I was. But, right now there must be 10 or 12 (or more) projects in some state of construction (or hoping to be constructed) sitting around the studio in their plastic project boxes gathering dust.

So, I swore off buying any more fabric until I finish a few of them. But a recent 45% off sale from Craftsy sucked me in.  Check out this gorgeous line from Robert Kaufman. I saw it and my mouth started watering - really! So quick - I designed a super simple twin size Hunter's Star, and ordered 2 layer cakes (and a jelly roll which will be used to decorate the studio for now). Of course, I didn't discover that I only need 1 layer cake for my quilt until I had already drooled on both of them.

On the Frame

I'm about half finished with an edge to edge free motion on T.'s What Knots quilt. Isn't it beautiful! She does nice work. The quilting is a simple leafy meander that the DH calls "poison ivy pattern." Not funny.


 

Off the Frame

I came to a stopping place on J's lovely Rippling Star quilt. so I took it off the frame for a few days to work in a couple of quick quilts. Doesn't it remind you of a happy french garden?

Tips and Techniques

Are you "scrappy-challenged" like I am? Do you always agonize about what would look great with what, and change your mind a million times per block? Well I have a solution. But first you have to GIVE UP CONTROL and embrace the notion of "random."

• First, USE A PRE-CUT! It contains all of the fabrics from the same line, and they all already go together!
• Next, put the pieces you need to join into  separate containers, and jumble them up. 
• Then, squeeze your eyes shut, refuse to look into the boxes, and pull out one piece from each box. No, no! Do not make a decision about whether they look good together. They DO. They were designed to go together!
• I do, indeed, give you permission to put a piece back if it EXACTLY matches the other one. 

Try this technique - come on now, be brave. Your quilt will be nice and scrappy, look beautiful, and you will have saved yourself a lot of heartache.

Learning for the Week

Doing taxes makes my head hurt.

Enjoy your weekend, and for Pete's sake, go quilt something!

'Tis the season - hug your sewing machine

I hope you are enjoying the Christmas season! After several years with no Christmas decorations at all (due to various circumstances) this year we put up a little pre-lit tree. Think we have it all decorated yet? Of course not, but it's up along with our usual clothing gifts to each other from Land's End. Of course, Santa has something up his sleeve, especially for the DH. Hmmm, I see that the table looks a little cock-eyed...

News from the Studio

This week, I finished quilting a What Knots quilt for Robin. A member of the AHQ guild, she made this quilt in a workshop we had last May. Robin is a wonderful piecer and her quilts are a joy to work on. Nice job Robin!






   

Robin chose the Poplar pantograph. It is perfect for this quilt!

New Pantograph

 Poplar: This is lovely, and a very versatile design. I love it.












Now, I know you are busy with Christmas activities and obligations. Include some time with your sewing machine or longarm, too. If you just don't have time for that, this month, at least give your machine(s) a hug and let them know you haven't forgotten about them!

Have a beautiful week! Now let's go quilt something!

Embrace the Mystery

18 guild members participated. We used a large classroom in the church

It’s been a great week! Last Saturday, Sue Jones held a Mystery Quilt Workshop for my guild, Appalachian Heritage Quilters in Gray, TN! What a hoot. Look, if you are going to do a mystery quilt, for Pete’s sake, embrace the mystery. Sue gave us the option of selecting our own fabrics or letting her shop for them and do all of the cutting, too!! So, 12 out of the 19 who had signed up selected that option, and I was one of them. 

 

Sue always has a smile on!

  She gave us 9 clues – each one was a separate step in the process. It all came in a gift bag, with all of the pre-cut pieces wrapped in tissue paper, not to be opened until we were ready for the related clue. The day progressed with easy blocks. By mid-afternoon, rows were coming together and by the end of the day, a couple of people had their tops finished! The quilt is called What Knots. This is what mine looked like. Sue is a super-fun teacher, and everyone had a blast. If your guild wants to schedule her, Sue can be reached at 865-981-4547, email: srj23@charter.net.

Sue chose these fabrics for me.

News from the Studio

Do you subscribe to the Missouri Star Quilt Co. daily deal email? How about the MSQC youtube channel? You need to do both! Just go to www.missouriquiltco.com and sign up. Today’s tutorial was a quilt Jenny Doan calls Pinwheels on Point. So easy.

My friend from Colorado and I vacation together every year, and this quilt will be my project while we are on our little retreat later in the year. Just yesterday, I secured a wonderful little "cabin" near Pigeon Forge, TN, one of our favorite places to go. Oh, if you love cats, you must visit the Smoky Mountain Cat House there.

Enjoy your week! Now let's go quilting!