Montana was Amazing

So, a few weeks ago I told you about the retreat I held in Montana at Judy's Training Center.....and here are some of the highlights from our day at Glacier National Park. It was a gorgeous day, cool and sunny, and while the Road to the Sun was closed, we still had a great time. I really must get back there in mid-summer to see the weeping walls, and the glaciers themselves, but that will have to be a next trip....

Here are some pics from our adventures....

I was driving, so I took a limited number of pictures to ensure the safety of my passengers.....We started at Lake McDonald, driving along the south side of the lake to the Lodge, and getting a good view of the convertible topped vehicles that they use to ferry park goers between various places....

This little waterfall is right behind the Lodge between the main lodge and the cabins, it was brimming with fast moving and almost freezing water.....the lake itself still had large expanses of floating ice, so that water was near freezing. On the lake front itself I needed my jacket and to stay out of the occasional spray!

This pic is from that same little falls but on the opposite side of the road, before it diverts under the road....the shade here was freezing, and I only stayed long enough to get a quick pic and get out!

After we left Lake McDonald and the Lodge we headed up toward Avalanche Trail head, and stopped several times to get pics of various falls along the Big Fork River which feeds into the lake. There were areas of steep rapids and white water, and areas that were more likely the lazy rivers at the amusement parks....

Once we got to Avalanche we turned around and headed to Polebridge for some sweet Huckleberry treats. Overall, it was a great day in the park......

Montana or Bust 2019

It's the last day of retreat in Montana, and I can't quite believe that it is over....it has been a great week, full of friends, adventures and some sewing...

We had a group of 7, and spent 10 days in Kalispell Montana at Judy's retreat center. We arrived last Saturday, and spend Labor Day Weekend cutting papers and getting started on color selection. The retreat center was full of beautiful inspiration.

Bali Wedding Star

Cactus Rose 

Dinner Plate Dahlia Wall

Jennifer Eubank stopped by for a visit (or four) while we were here, and regailed us with tails of her Alaska adventures. I must admit that I adore her, and wished she could have stayed and sewed, but she has a real job, and a lovely garden to tend.

I got a chance to spend an evening with the lovely Carrie Barone at her new studio in Columbia Falls. We got a chance to do lots of business planning and working through what we have planned for the rest of the year....

We visited the Quilt Gallery at it's new location on Highway 93 on Tuesday! I totally forgot to take pictures, but it was a lovely visit. The staff was amazing and super helpful. And the shop was full of inspiration.

We visited Glacier Park on Wednesday, and went up to Polebridge for Huckleberry Macaroons and visited Lake McDonald (more info on that later). The Avalanche Trail and the Sun Road were still closed due to snow, so we couldn't get to the Weeping Wall, but the park was gorgeous, and the weather splendid for a day spent outside.

We stopped at Glacier Quilts on the way home from the park, and got a little lost in the aisles of batiks. I got to meet Jenny Clark, the local CI in Montana. Her class was working on Dinner Plate Dahlia, and it was great to see several new color combinations. Of course, I didn't take pictures because I wasn't expecting to meet her.

We spent the rest of the week eating, sewing, visiting, and planning out new quilts. Judy stopped by to see us several times and demoed several new techniques, which was a treat. Judel came over and did a demo of Quiltster and showed us some new tricks that have recently been installed.

I'll be writing more about our adventures this week in future posts....until then, Happy June!

Projects In Process

In my last post I talked about all of the things that I am dreaming of starting, but the reality is, I have SO MANY PROJECTS in process right now. Some I have been working on for years (yes, years), and some I just started a few weeks ago.....I really need to get on track and get some stuff done, but I am continuing to struggle with the sewing on the road (more appropriately stated the sewing I am not getting done on the road). I do enjoy the new job and my clients, but I miss sewing every day. I have realized just how much sewing is good for my soul and my mental health. So, I'm trying to get back to it, and get reorganized and re-energized. I thought a good place to start would be to put together a calendar of plans....so that I have someone to be accountable to, even if it is just my online journal....

So, here's the plan....

1. Finish the Applique on Scandinavian Snowflake. I have turned all of the shapes, they just need to be glued down and have the hand sewing done.

2. My Violet Craft  Elephant - I have completed through section 40, but there are 70 sections left, so nowhere close to being done.

3. Diamond Wedding Star -- The Rings are done, but I need to make the stars, and cut all the backgrounds.....I will definitely be taking this one to Montana in May for a little TLC.

So that's my marching orders for the next few weeks. I am hoping to have all of these done by the time I get back from Montana on June 2nd. But that is a pretty aggressive schedule, so we'll just have to see how it goes.

Do you have projects that are lingering, or is it just me????

Options, Options, Options

What is it about spring that makes me want to start all of the projects??? I am in a serious want to start all of the projects dilemma....There are so many great projects out there lately, and so many inspiring ideas.....

Starting with this one.....YOGO Sapphire.....

I love the color way of this one, but I must admit that I really want to do this one in purple and turquoise.

Next up, is Starry Night......

I want this one exactly as it is, in those mallardy greens, with hints of navy and a bit of light blue. I want this one for my guest room, which is missing a quilt at the minute, since MoonCatcher is on display at a local shop.

And finally (at least for the moment) is the new Block of the Month Program from Quiltworx. It is called Candy Coated Snowflake BOM, and I am in love with it!!!! I've been playing around with color on this one, and as much as I love the rainbow version (what's not to love), I'm in love with a Navy and Red version that someone posted in the Quiltster Gallery......

Did I mention that I don't have time to work on any of these because I already have 30 projects on the go???? Which means that I can think of nothing else right now. Such is life!!!!

What are you dreaming of starting????

Stash Management - March Report

Well, life has gotten a little crazy and I have gotten a little lazy about my stash management this month. I did really well last year, I bought very few items, and only items that I really needed, but I've gotten a bit lazy lately and really need to get back on track. Starting now. So, here's the march report.

March Stash Management Report 

I went a little wild this month -- there are so many new things coming out that I NEEDED...you know all about that. I lost my head and bought the new Harry Potter line from Andover....specifically, I bought RavenClaw and Slytherin badges on white, the Marauder's Map on cream, and several other cream based backgroundy prints -- snitches, badges, Hedwig, dragons, hand drawn characters. They are so cute, but they have no plan. As in zero plans, which of course means I got lots of yardage because I had no plan. But that only explains my slip at Sew 'n Sew in Glendora. I also had a slip at the Orange Quilt Bee -- granted several of the items I bought I actually needed. I needed binding for my Twinkle Star, and for my Fractured Paintbox. I did not need the new Robert Kaufman bali roll....but it was so pretty I had to have it. And finally I bought backing for Josh's quilt. That I got at Rosie's last Sunday, as it was the only 108" wide backing in reproduction fabrics that I could find. Which leaves the stash status for 2019 as follows :

New Purchases In March:

Batiks:           6 yards

Cottons:         22 yards

Wide backs:   3 yards

Precuts:          1 Batik roll

Next up : making sewing plans for the rest of April.....

Things to Work on for April

Well, it's April 7th, and I have a laundry list of quilts that I am behind on....and the list gets longer every moment.....

1. Finishing my Elephant - I started Violet Craft's Elephant in February, and so far, I have worked my way through to section 39. I work them in groups 0-9, 10-19, 20-29, etc.....I would like to get the 40s, 50s, and 60s completed this weekend, since I have the weekend off of teaching, so I have all day Saturday to sew!!! There are a total of 117 components for this quilt, and while I don't think I'll get them done this month, I plan on spending every minute available to work on it.

2. In the meantime, I have a couple of bindings to work on during my travels. Specifically, Fractured Paintbox and Twinkle Star. I put the binding on Fractured last week, and now just need to trim and turn it, so hopefully I can get that done this week, and then do Twinkle Star next week.

3. Next Ups :

• Diamond Wedding Ring
• Diamond Wedding Star
• Moroccan Courtyard
• Poinsettia

I have so many plans, and so little time!!! Now, it's time to get back to it!!!

Catherine

 

How Did It Get to April???

Seriously folks, where did March go???

I swear it was just yesterday that I declared my knitting plans for the year..and then fell off the face of the earth. It's been really busy at work. Travel is even busier than normal, and while I have been enjoying it, the travel is brutal! Seriously, I love to travel, but weekly travel and no time at home is hard on the mind. I've been feeling like I am letting the boys down since I'm not home to make dinner, and I can't even discuss how dirty the house is. Keeping up with the house has become my full time hobby. I've always been a clean as you go type -- a little today, a little tomorrow, rather than spending all day Saturday cleaning (which I hated as a child). I'd rather clean a little every day than all day one day. And yet, that has become my Sunday thing...laundry, cleaning and cooking for the week. With a full teaching schedule on Saturdays, that leaves very little time for sewing. I have to admit I miss my nightly sewing ritual. While I have been able to do some handwork (and some knitting) in the hotel during the week, I have had limited prep time and am very quickly running out of items that I can work on. I've done all of the binding, and all of the turned applique, and am soon left with nothing except turning hexies.

Other than that, it has been a good month. The taxes are done, and they weren't as bad, or as painful as I had imagined they could be. Work was good but busy. Quilting classes were busy and fun, and retreat preparation remains in full swing. I can't believe we will be in Montana on retreat in a little over 6 weeks. It's crunch time for that at the moment, all the last minute stuff that needs to be handled. Thankfully, the last of the goodie bag components arrived last week, so I can start assembling those next weekend.

I have so many things that I want to tell you, and so many things I want to talk about, so many plans and ideas to discuss, but I'm just not sure how to go about it....Life has changed so much in the last few years and I feel like by blog should adapt as those things adapt...that Queenie Quilts isn't all that I am. Yes, Queenie Quilts is part of me, and always will be. But life is bigger than that. Soon enough I will figure it out...will I blog separately about my many interests, or try to do them all together on one blog. Would anyone care, or be interested in seeing more about my life? So many things to consider, evaluate and make decisions about....what do you think??? Would you want to see more about budgeting? cooking? freezer meals? Part of me wants to just talk freely here, and part of me wants to do separate blogs...so I'm just testing things out.

So, until I make a final decision, you may see any number of things here on the blog...

Catherine 

Knitting Plans for 2019 - brought to you from Dallas, TX

SO, I mentioned in my last post that I had taken a new job, which has a lot of travel, and by a lot, I mean basically daily travel. I leave on Sunday night, and I return on Friday. Many of you know that I teach every Saturday in Southern California. As a result, my sewing machine time has been greatly reduced, and I have had to find other ways to get my sewing fix. Initially, I didn't attempt to take sewing projects, because I just couldn't figure out what to take. Yes, I have done EPP (English Paper Piecing) before, and I don't hate it. Yes, I have done dozens (yes, dozens) of stitching projects. that are fairly portable. But I didn't want to try to cross stitch in low light on planes or in hotel rooms, it's just too hard on the eyes. So, I chose to spend most of my time knitting while on the road....and so far, I haven't finished a single thing for me!!! That's right, in 6 months I haven't made a single thing for me. I've made a half dozen hats, started some socks, made Christmas scarves, and picked 3 major projects for myself, but knitted absolutely nothing for me. There is just something incredibly satisfying to give a knitted or quilted gift...so I am always putting projects for me off. I'm always making samples for classes or gifts for friends. And while I will continue to make samples for classes, I am committed to knitting for myself this year. I have some pretty big knitting goals for the year, and I decided I better list them so that I can look back and hold myself accountable.

First up : Learn to make socks........eventually I want to make some fancy cable socks, but I'm starting with some simple vanilla socks.....like these.....

   

Second : make a sweater....starting with this one by TinCan Knits. It is called Mountain Mist, and hopefully will be a good choice for a first sweater.....basic, but with a little bit of personality.

Third: the perfect shawl. With all of the traveling and temperature fluctuations, a huge shawl is a must on the plane. And this one is the one I want before the fall travel season starts. This one is Ley Lines by Joji Locatelli, simple, basic, and amazing. I am going to do a faded version, and let the yarn slowly gradate through a series of turquoise and navy verigated yarns.

So, that's my knitting plan for the year.....

Holy Smokes It's Been a While

Well, I've been feeling the itch to blog for  a while now, and I knew that it had been a while since I had last blogged, but I had no idea how long it had been.

Life has been a little crazy. I got a new job last August that has been totally crazy. I've been traveling 100% of the time since mid-September, and I must admit the quilting production has gone down exponentially. And the less I have sewn, the more I want to!!! Isn't that just the way it goes!!! I am still working through how to quilt on the road. I know lots of people do it. And do it successfully. I however, have not figured that all out yet. I do enjoy EPP (English Paper Piecing) so I could do that, or appliqué (which I don't hate), or binding (which I did for the last 3 months, and have now run out of). I am sure there are a million other things I could do.....but I'm still trying to figure it out. The honest truth is, I've just now finally figured out the briefcase packing requirements and the suitcase packing requirements, so I can now really figure out the sewing piece.

As a result, I've taken the easy route lately, binding if available, and otherwise, some knitting. SO, I've made lots of hats and scarves and cowls this past fall, and I even started a pair of mittens (which remain unfinished). And as much as I love knitting, I really miss quilting and just sitting at the machine and sewing my heart out. So this week, I am taking some appliqué on the road and I'll see how it goes. I likely won't be blogging because I still haven't moved the blog from the MAC to the PC (which I need for work). I haven't figured out a way to take both computers successfully, with the limited amount of space that I have for carryon and the number of things I NEED while on a trip.  Oh the drama of full time travel.

Well I really must go, as it is time to get the packing finished and head to the airport. Hoping every one has a great week, and I'll se you soon.