Gifts for the Hostess

Wow! What day is it? This has been one of the busiest weeks of the year. The NYS Bar Association has their annual meeting this week every year. I have become accustomed to being busy, as a result. But, somehow this year was a lot different. Still Chair the same things and serve on the same number of committees etc, however I believe there were meatier issues on the table and they required much more energy.

Anyway this is cocktails and thread, and while there were lawyers and loads of cocktails, I am sure you are wondering where does the thread fit in. Well this is also the week that my Rochester buddy comes down for the annual meeting and stays with me. She and I were also in Houston at the festival. She is a QB "quilting buddy". So there was a stop at our fave city quilt shop, and fabric lusting and pawing.

She usually stays through the weekend, but had to head back Friday to make her 20th annual girls quilting retreat in Florida. Anyway, with all that went on this week, we managed to touch fabric, discuss ideas, and looked through quilting books. We didn't gt a chance to sew this time, but will make it up in a couple of months, March to be exact, as I head upstate for a Bar meeting.

Now, on to the title of the post. Thursday when I returned from a dinner I saw this hanging on my chair. It was the bag with a card attached, and then when I picked it up, I realized it was not empty. Opened it to find some scrumptious fabric. Followed by an hour of ideas for what can be done with it. Funny enough, she also knows how much I adore the fabric that the bag was made from. I have it in several color ways, worked on a quilt while she was here a couple years ago with the same pattern. So it is extra special.

Thank you KW for being a wonderful colleague and dearest friend. Heaven knows we loooooove fabric.

What was I thinking....

Isn't it funny how you plan things and they never seem to turn out the way you painstakingly planned.  Well that was this weekend.  It was a fantastic weekend, so I am in no way complaining.  It started with the Vogue Knitting Live at the Hilton NYC.  An evening of fun and laughter with the ladies. (See posts from that day.)  Then it continued with hanging out for drinks with friends after.

My Saturday was filled with meetings and "baby" love.  I ended up breaking out the knitting needles on Saturday night to whip up something for a dear friend.  Yes it was finished by the morning.  That was a wonderful intermission.  It allowed me to be able to focus on the 15minutes of play BOM quilt that is due on Wednesday.  And that brings me back to "what was I thinking".  I managed to complete all of the blocks by GAME time on Sunday.  So at that point, I thought I was right on schedule.  Then the game ended up being a longer night of hanging out with friends...So there was not stitching when I got in Sunday night.

This morning I was up at the crack of dawn...and the machine started to whir.  And thats when the plans grew a mind of their own.  I was going for simple, straight forward, quilting.  Blocks were chosen, the quilt was sketched out, the layout and all.  Then....the ideas came.  (Darn that knitting intermission.)  The details just kept getting more and more ornate.  At one point< i had to chuck a few ideas, because there was no way I would be able to finish it by the January 18 deadline.

So, I plowed ahead....and the top is finally complete.  The back is finally pieced together.  I am exhausted, as I worked non stop from 8 am till 7pm, with only a 30 minute food break...smiles.. whew.

A two hour errand run to prepare for the week and the back was pieced by 10pm.  So, I decided to pack it up and baste it during lunch tomorrow.  But then I have to quilt it...Yikes...and the ideas developed there as well, including a run to Michaels to get some perle cotton.  Yea, ha lets see if I get that far...ha ha ha...

So here is what I have thus far.....I am excited...so I started this back when (I posted on the 15 minutes site....when I made a few with the simple idea in mind.)

Fiber Love

I was reacquainted with my first love, knitting. Had a chance to hang with some fabulous ladies. Thanks Michele for the entry.
Vogue Knitting Live is at the Hilton NYC.

As you scroll through the pics you will see some lovelies wearing what appears to be a scarf. It is actually yarn from loopfiberstudios.com. Hmmm shall i even take the time to knit it up. Eh why bother, V wrapped it around her neck, fabulous, and we all biught one. You will also see a pic that has a tag saying "show me the money". That is real money from the treasury spun into the fibers. Talk about a true baller, "knitting" with real benjamins. Lol.

Stephanie Gorin's stuff is amazing.

Speaking of amazing, that lovely colorful man is called "Amazing" by Lion Brand Yarn.

There are also some dress forms decorated with some yummy yarns. Sweetness. Talk about a fix, woo hoo a wonderful evening.

AJs Birthday Quilt

A super fast finish just in time for her party this afternoon. As I mentioned I've been changing my computer, etc. so I was unable to print the pics and such till Thursday.

The fabric sheets had to set for 24 hours. So I did not begin until 7:30 last night. The hands and machine were flying away and this was the end result. Eight years with my munchkin.

eBay Trolling

Okay. Didn't I say I was on a fabric diet. Well, does a completed quilt count. I troll eBay for fun ever since I discovered the plethora of vintage finds on their. Besides its like window shopping, add things on your watch list or wish list and do nothing if you decide you don't really want it.

It's great, and also makes me feel like I'm bargain shopping. Anyway, yes the little guilty pleasures. So my new find is a tad bit old, but reminiscent of the old south in my mind. Enjoy.

Happy New Year 2012

It will soon be the year of the dragon. I find this first calendar day very interesting. It is at 12:01 am that promises are made, new resolutions set, and a path to change is forged. All in one minute after you didn't do those things. Lol.

Change is a process. A lifelong one indeed. So I wish each of you, all the best in keeping to your process of change. I continue to change, and hope to continue to develop a greater skill level in this craft that I adore oh soo much.

This was the last thing I had on my machine before I had to start cooking. (note in my mobile blogger it looks as if the pics shifted, but oddly the fabric pieces blend wonderfully.)

And then the cooking began. Jerk chicken, rice and peas, salt fish and callaloo, stamp n go (aka codfish fritters), banana and yam, sorrel, rum punch, rum cake, vanilla cake topped with champagne. Yum