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.

The ULTIMATE BLOCK PARTY...when the Quilters "TOOK" Manhattan

Victoria (American Alliance of Quilters [AAQ] Board Member, NYC Metro Mod Quilters Guild Pres..and so much more...)  I call her Queen B.

First Season Winner of Project Runway, Jay McCarroll on the right..

Hanging with the Fon's...Daughter Mary (Quilty.com) and Mother Marianne (of the famed Fons and Porter)

AAQ Board Member and Quilter Luke Haynes

Paula Nadelstern with a captive audience.

Timeless Treasures very own Chelsea Peluso

Yes she was really here...and I was so amazed...smiles..cool name tag..

Amy Milne, AAQ's Executive Director extraordinare...

NYC MMQ's very own Jackie Kunkel (canton village works) with Mary Bostwick (fiction writer..)

Showing off their auction wins...

Admiring Jay's Bag

Luke Haynes..AAQ Board Member and Piece that was Auctioned off

AAQ Board Member Victoria Findlay Wolfe's piece that was auctioned off.

AAQ Board Member Frances Holliday Alford's piece for auction...I met her...she is amazing....

Another AAQ board member's piece

AAQ Board Member Allison Aller...Auctioned and sold...smiles

Yes, it was an amazing Saturday night.  I am not sure what was more decadent...the fact that I was surrounded by so many incredibly talented people, or that I was able to sip wine and eat food while around allllll of that fabric.  Ha...It was indeed a treat...

The weekends goodie bags was an added bonus...well you all know by now that I won the Go Baby fabric cutter the Friday night at modern stories...but the bags were filled with quilt kits by bernatex, aurafil thread...magazines...thimbles, fusible stuff, and all sorts of goodies...Fabuuuuuuulllous...

And then...there was Sunday Sew Day with my NYC Metro Mod folks..stay tuned for those lovely pics...and day of sewing fun...

The gift

What a wonderful Sunday.  I have finished quilting the gift.  I will be dropping it off in the next two days .... and am ensured that it shall reach its intended recipient this upcoming weekend. 

Process talk....well I wanted a stippling effect, but not the meandering, so I did a pebble type all over design.  This was my first attempt at feathering...smiles...I have learned a few things about the machine quilting process as well.  For starters, my machine is very hearty but also delicated.  Yeah, I know sounds strange.  She collects the dust from the thread and the batting very fast, which then requires a bobbin casing and feed dog cleaning at every bobbin change.  I guess this is a good thing, as it ensures a clean working machine.  She is indeed a smooth machine.  So far I must say I am very happy with my selection.  We are becoming fast friends.

So here are some pics at the Gift Quilt.  I hope you enjoy.

A Birthday Gift for my Munchkin.

It is completed, just in the knick of time.  The party was today...and I hope she enjoys it.  This was a special request from my dearest niece.  Traditionally, that is for the last 6 years of her life prior to this one, her seventh, I have knitted her something for her birthday.  This year would be different.  Earlier last year, we had a conversation and originally she asked at the age of 3, if I would make her (knit her) something every year for her birthday, until she was atleast 17.  Now of course to a 3 year old that seems a very long time.

Anyway, last year I realized that she would also be getting bigger, so I would be knitting longer.  And the conversation was had.  She agreed to allow me to make her anything I wanted, provided that I made it.  It also seems the time frame has extended...sort of to a forever status..smiles.  Her request was that it have light pink, dark pink, orange, "oh yeah and some blue" and a PEACE sign.

I originally planned to use the letters of her name.  However, on New Years Day we were walking from dinner and we had a discussion of her favorite letters, because her younger sister likes the letter M.  (Coincidentally, its the first letter of my brother's name.)  So, AJ said her favorites were A (because of her name), Y (because it is the last letter of her name, it sounds like an E and is also a sometimes vowel), S (for her mom and younger sisters name), and M for her daddy.  So Viola....

This is what I did.  She should have been opening her gifts today when she got home.  I can't wait for the verdict...