Shameless promotion...Is anyone interested in a gnome home?

Announcing the first ever softie made by me! Jessica! Hooray!

Here is a little house I finished just last night. It is all hand-sewn out of wool felt, some scraps from the Pendleton outlet store and an old mattress pad that I like to use to practice free motion quilting. The bees just moved in today and they are very happy and dancing all around their new yard.

I made this for the "Stitched by Hand, Old School Sewing Competition". Badbird, from flickr, makes some wonderful art and is hosting this competition. One of her prints is the prize for winning so let's help me win, shall we? I love a little sassy red bird. Here is the little announcement from the Craftzine blog. Basically, starting December 2 YOU, my dear friends, can get yourself a little flickr ID and then vote for my lovely and useful little house. (You could vote for one of the other projects, but mine is really cute and cozy warm.) Badbird will pick winners in each of the categories AND there will be one people's choice winner...and this is where YOU all can help ME....see?

Maybe if I win, I can start renting out the little house in my garden and you all can come and stay a spell.... hmmmm.
Check it out, I have been sewing my fingers to the bone.
JMB

Thankful...

For eyes to see the beauty around me,

For a heart so full of the love around me,

For another year of growth, lessons and blessings.

Very thankful.

JMB

Where has the last week and a half gone?? Please tell me, I need to know.

What has been going on out there in Blogland?? Has the weather been nice? I really don't know, I have been working away here. I am still striving for some balance between blogging/flickr/websurfing and actual creating.

BUT for some reason 3 months ago I did not look at a calendar before I committed to a bunch of new projects. This coming Monday, December 1, is THE day, 2 swaps are due, one sculptural project, AND a skirt and blouse are due for my pattern making class. What was I thinking?? I actually thought that I had one more week for the class... enough about all that, let's just say that my machine has been humming right along. AND did I remember that Thanksgiving is this week??? There is preparing to do and it isn't fabric...what will I do??

This past weekend we had Billie Lauder do a workshop for our guild. She was great. I have been trying to take technique workshops the past year or so to help flesh out my mad quilting skillz. She is a hilarious teacher and has a bunch of fun ideas for making different blocks out of cutting and reassembling simple blocks like 4-patches and 9-patches. It was like a vacation. She had us do all the cutting before class, so that once we got there we could just sew, sew, sew.

Here are a few of my blocks that went together quickly, I am only sad that I forgot to take a picture of the tree block that we made from some quick flying geese. (Lily, I finally tried the 4 at a time method and all I want to do is make geese!) I am sure they will peek in here as the holidays get closer.

Here is a sneak peek of my word theme quilt for this swap. I have been experimenting with wool felt applique on cotton...I love it!

Here is a sneak peek at this swap. This quilt I am calling "Sunshine in Winter". The orange bits with the aqua were so cheery to work on in these past few days of gray-gray-gray weather. My partner is also a gray weather sympathizer, I hope that this will bring some sunshine to her day too. (I made sister quilts of both of these for my self...so it really has been a LOT of sewing around here.

Skirt and blouse pictures to follow...depending on how crazy they look, I may model them. We will see...

For my American friends, enjoy this coming holiday with family, friends and craft. For all of my friends I am thankful for this outlet to connect with you and be inspired by your lives and the work of your hands.

Thank you.

JMB

Web dew...

The dew on the spider webs this morning was so amazing.
Here is the latest quilt in progress:

I think that I just wanted a big one to slap together and get to quilting. I just need to quilt. The chartreuse sang the siren song to me and I had to cut in...these have only been "stashed" for a month. What fun!

I also started re-watching Buffy the Vampire slayer as I did the marking, pinning and cutting...and why did it ever have to end?? It did get dicey in the later seasons, but it is really silly and clever.

JMB

Wow, I have followers??

Hey all...followers...how funny! What if I have no idea where I am going? I guess that will just have to be where we leave it.

I am trying to re-acclimate myself to my normal life. My trip to New Jersey was so much fun and it is really going to be my last trip for a while. I like being gone, because it is this crazy taste of a life that I don't have anymore (no kids, no responsibilities...), but coming back to the warm arms of people who love you and depend on you... well, it kind of makes the crazy freedom not so fun. My boys are only going to be small for such a small amount of my life, they just really need me
around.

I love this pattern on a wall in Greenwich village...I loved more the motion of the people walking by it. Cities are great, you just kind of blend in and there is so much to see and do...but then on the other hand there are so many people....everywhere people, and cars and this hustley energy that kind of is exhausting. It is nice to be back in my only little corner of the world, where the intense traffic only happens on a football home game day. I can always avoid that if I am aware of when kickoff is.

Last night was the opening reception of this fiber arts show that I am in. It was very weird. I liked it and it was fun and exciting and all that, BUT there is was definitely a "fine" arts bent to the show. Seeing my work next to some of the other pieces was very humbling. I do think that I have an artistic voice to be heard...I just wished that I had spent more time on my piece. Do you know what I mean? The piece that got picked to be in is something that I just threw together in an afternoon. I really like it, but I can't say that it is an example of my finest skills. What a learning experience! I think that I am going to have to let it all sink in a bit better over the next few days, but I would do it again.

I did start a quilt (because I love to start them) the other day using my birthday fat quarters. It was nice that my sister picked a bunch that coordinate...I was able to just slice them up and get right to the sewing. Hopefully I can make some more progress tonight and then show it later this week. I have been really wanting to blog more, but OMG my pattern making class SUCKS up the "free" time that I have. The other day I was lamenting on how little quilting I have finished in the past 6 weeks...and then I remembered that I am drafting patterns and travelling ALL THE TIME. I love making patterns and I am hoping that the time I am putting in right now will spark something down the road. Hope so.

JMB

It keeps going...and going...

This fall has been so balmy. The garden keeps going and going. It is getting kind of gross...but sort of pretty in a crazy-going-to-take-over-the-world sort of way. My cosmos finally bloomed in October. I have plants that are 8 ft tall....what is up with that?? I think that I might have preferred their delicate blossoms in the summer time, but crazy gardeners can't be too choosy.

Here is another angle...all of our hoses still akimbo and the pot I drag around for weeds all out and proud... I do love this tree. I love watching it leaf out in the spring. I love the sunlight shining through the leaves and its shade in the morning during the summer. Now, we are enjoying its golden yellow color. I am sure that I will be enjoying raking up all those leaves when I return from my trip next week....

Trip??

Yes, I am taking another trip...this fall has been busy-busy...lots of leisure for mommy, for sure. I am leaving on Wednesday for Jersey City and the Big Apple!!! I am visiting my new niece and her adoring parents (I will take pictures and ask if I can post them...she is so cute!) I am going to try and go into the city Thursday and Friday ALONE! (The last time I was there, I was kind of silly and thought that I was going to get mugged the whole time...I think that I will be ok.) I am hoping to see some fun things like this and this, maybe this? We will see... If you have any suggestions???

I enjoyed everyone's comments on my previous post. VOTE. I am glad when Americans can be civil, informed, and involved in their country. VOTE. It is so important. VOTE. (and love your neighbor!)

JMB