A little Florida quilting fun

Last week, despite my horrific cold, Mike and I went to Florida for a few days to visit my parents. Usually we try to go when my brother and his family visit from CA, but this year they chose to travel the week between Christmas and New Year's when everything triples in price. So we held off and made our trip the first week of January, which happened to coincide with the coldest day of the month (so far) back home in Massachusetts.

It was zero degrees at home, but Mike and I enjoyed bagels on our hotel balcony in Florida.

If you look over Mike's shoulder, you can see the Atlantic ocean!

Even though it was only in the sixties, and the weather was cloudy, I was not complaining!!

I got to spend one day with my friend and virtual co-worker Anna, who now lives in Florida. I took her to her first quilt show in West Palm Beach!

A nice lady took our picture, but it is blurry.

This is what we look like when we're in focus. Anna is on the right.

This is the gorgeous quilt we stood in front of in our blurry photo. It was made by a quilter in Israel.
The colors are much more gorgeous in person.

Anna enjoyed the quilt show and bought a few patterns and some fabric. She has always been a crafter and enjoys sewing, and now wants to venture into quilting. She is going to start by making yo yo's. It wasn't my idea, but she was thought they were really cute and easy to make. The vendor even sold her a yo yo template to make them with!

This was Anna's favorite quilt in the show.

I flirted with this rainbow colored rayon batik, but decided it had too much yellow in it.
This would be fine for a quilt, but I wanted to use it for a jacket.

Here's my loot from the quilt show. I was pretty good. One magazine, one pattern, some beautiful rayon batik to use with the pattern, one amazing Wilma Flintstone style bracelet, and a bundle of fabric.

The next day, Mike and I met Anna and her husband Ben for breakfast at FirstWatch. I finally got to meet their little boy Logan who is now 18 months old. He is very cute!

Here are baby Logan and Dad Ben.

Logan is very good at eating with a fork. He ate an entire blueberry pancake that was bigger than he was!

Another highlight of my very quick trip was finally getting to meet my friend Kat who blogs at Made with Love and Ladybug Hugs! We've been corresponding for a long time (I think she was one of my very first blogging friends) and the last time we were in Florida, she was in New York, so our meeting has been a long time coming!

Here is Kat, blonde, skinny, and beautiful. Am I jealous? Only a little bit.

We met at StitchCraft in Boca Raton and spent a very quick hour fabric shopping. I've only been to StitchCraft once before. It is a great shop with a huge selection of everything!!! Kat and I determined that we should have a Florida quilt retreat soon! Thank you, Kat for the adorable hot pink leopard zipper bag and matching key fob!

Here I am with my parents. My Dad turns 85 on Saturday!

Here's how big my niece and nephew have grown since last year! My Mom says it looks like she is standing in a hole!

My Mom wanted to take a group selfie!

Thanks for visiting!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

January 2015 Quilt of the Month

I have officially shown you a different bed quilt for an entire year. I started this feature to showcase some of my older quilts that I made in my pre-blogging days. I am close to running out of bed-size quilts to show off, but I have plenty of old wall hangings to share!

Today's quilt is a real oldie but goodie. It pre-dates my finished project list, which is housed on my computer. Do you keep a list of finished projects? I like to look back and see what I've accomplished. Now, I can even see it in living color on my own blog.

This quilt is a scrappy log cabin set in a field and furrows layout. It is made from 1.5" strips. I finished it before 2001 which is when I started keeping track of my projects. I started it in a workshop with Charlotte Angotti, perhaps in 1989? I'm not sure who machine quilted it for me, it may have been my friend Sandie, who blogs at The Lone Quilter. It is stippled all over.

Here is my handsome black pug, Elvis, who is 12 years young.

Usually LarryPug is the star model for quilt of the month, but this month Elvis took over.

Instant cuteness: just add a pug!

A close-up of the piano key border.

A close-up of one of the blocks. Even ugly fabrics don't look too bad when they're only one inch wide.

Two really old and really ugly Debby Mumm fabrics for the back.
Do you remember these? Do you have them in your fabric stash?

LarryPug says it's not quilt of the month unless he is in the photo!

I love log cabin quilts! There is a lot of scrappy goodness in this one. I think I need to make another one!

Linking up to TGIFF, Scraptastic Tuesday, Richard and Tanya Quilts and Confessions of a Fabric Addict.

Thanks for visiting!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

P.S. Sorry for my absence on the blog. I've been sick and am just starting to return to the land of the living. I'm sorry that I took breathing through my nose for granted. Within two weeks I've had a cold, a sore throat, and an upset stomach. I think I've used up my sick quota for Winter 2015. It's not my turn anymore!

2014 By the Numbers

First of all, in case I don't say it enough, thanks for reading my blog. I started blogging in March of 2012 and it has been a joy, as well as a learning experience.

This year has been interesting. I only finished three quilts this year, whereas in 2013 I finished 11. I also finished 44 small projects which included 17 pillowcases; 9 large fleece blankets; 1 small fleece blanket; 2 patchwork bags; 10 zipper bags, 1 patchwork Scottie dog; 2 fabrics books; 1 table runner and 1 apron. I kept one fleece blanket and a set of three zipper bags. Everything else was gifted.

I  have one quilt at the machine quilter; three quilt tops that are ready to be layered and quilted; and seven more quilts that just need borders added. I even have an eighth top finished that I don't like so I'm going to use it as a quilt back. I also have 288 quilt blocks to assemble into a quilt top for my very patient sister-in-law, Susan. So my output for 2015 should be better than last year.

This beauty needs borders and then she's off to the machine quilter!

How's the Blog Doing?
I wrote 139 blog posts in 2014. My Bloglovin' followers grew from 20 in 2013 to 56; my Google followers went from 23 to 42; and my email subscribers went from 30 to 44.

A very special thank you to my husband Mike and my Mom (my two staunchest supporters and biggest fans) as well as to Marion, Joannie, and Sue, who put up with me and appear frequently in the blog. Another big thank you to my Brown Bagger buddies and to the Thursday Girls who let me photograph their projects and share them in the blog. And don't forget the Pug Boys!

The Pug Boys love quilts. Here, LarryPug, at left, and Elvis, at right, made a nest from some on our couch.

Here is Elvis with the new toys that he received for Hanukkah from Cindy.
Alas, he has to share these with his pug brothers.

Romeo, at left, and LarryPug, at right.

A really big thank you to those of you who take the time to write me comments. Many of you have become close friends and I look forward to hearing from you, almost as soon as I hit the publish button!

So what's up for 2015? More quilts, more blog posts, and more pug photos of course.  In 2014, I also started a second, non-quilting blog, Nancy Cohen-Tomases and I introduced my Quilt of the Month series to show you some of the quilts that I made in my pre-blogging days. Although I only have a few more bed size projects to share, I'm going to continue to do the series even if I show you a smaller quilt instead. I plan to do some give-aways. I'm also considering a monthly Top 10 list and a weekly Pug Knickknack photo (you'd be amazed at some of the pug things I buy and some that I receive as gifts).

Let me know what you enjoy most and if there is anything special that you would like me to consider adding to my blog.

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

On the 12th Day of Christmas...

This past year (2014) I decided to take it easy and not make any of my holiday gifts. I actually shopped all year long for my family and friends and by the time the holidays rolled around, all my holiday shopping was complete. Although this approach was both practical and economical, it was a little anti-climatic.

I wandered into Joann Fabrics the last week before Christmas and found some really cute Christmas dog fabric. So it may come as no surprise to you that I found myself merrily sewing up pillowcases on the afternoon of December 24th for my friend Cindy, who also is our dog-walker. Cindy loves when I make her pillowcases. She probably has a dozen by now.

Here is Cindy with one of her new pillowcases.

Here's a close-up of the fabric.

I decided that I would extend the Christmas season after I found some more cute dog Christmas fabric at Jo Ann fabrics on my next visit as well as some Christmas owl fabric on Etsy. My five-year old friend Lily loves owls (I've already purchase Valentine owl fabric). So I made five more pillowcases on New Year's Day. The new Christmas dog print on the far left (I made two) is for our new dog sitter Christina (she does overnight dog babysitting). Lily is getting the Christmas owls. I also made pillowcases for Lily's parents. Dad Jeff is getting the flannel camouflage pillowcase and Lily's Mom Dorothy, a music teacher, is getting the one with the grand pianos. I think they will be very surprised when they receive a package tomorrow.

Pillowcases on parade!

After finishing the five pillowcases above, in a wild pillowcase-apalooza, I cut out 10 more pillowcases in assorted fabrics and have them all pinned up sausage style and ready to sew!

Many of you may be unaware that the original last line to the song The Twelve Days of Christmas was intended to be 12 Pillowcases flapping (instead of 12 Drummers Drumming).

Admittedly, I also bought two table runner kits with Christmas dog fabric when I went to Vermont a couple of weeks ago, but I've packed those up for later this year. I should probably make them now before I forget where I've put them!

Hope that all is well in your little piece of the world!

Linking up on Tuesday to Freemotion by the River and Quilt Story: Fabric Tuesday. Thanks for visiting!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

What's Your Word for 2015?

Happy New Year!
I found this cutie on FaceBook and had to share!

There’s a trend to choose a word to define your year rather than setting a New Year’s resolution. For 2015, the word I’ve chosen is “reduce.” This word offers me a myriad of ways to make changes in my life.

To start my year off right, my husband and I joined a gym last Saturday. I hope to reduce my body weight, while my husband hopes to reduce his stress levels. I also bought myself a Fitbit to help motivate me to keep moving. While my husband enjoys skiing and bicycling, he does not exercise on a regular basis, so he’s hoping to build up his muscle strength. We’ve made a commitment to go to the gym on Wednesday and Friday evenings as well as on the weekend. As a side benefit, we will also be spending more time together.

I also plan to reduce the clutter in my home by recycling and donating excess household items. Last week when I was on vacation, I got started by cleaning my garage. I found a box of things that I used to keep in my old car, which I sold back in 2004. Many items were still usable, such as the book of maps, but I didn’t need to keep five snow brushes. Fortunately my friend Joannie was glad to take a couple of them off my hands. 

Next, I plan to review and cull my wardrobe. Do I really need five pairs of sweatpants? Or six pairs of sneakers? My Mom, who was born during the Depression and grew up in the Forties, is fond of telling me that as a child, she only owned two outfits: one dress to wear to school, and one dress to change into when she came home. She was also the third of four girls, so everything she wore was a hand-me-down from one of her older sisters. 

I live on the corner of a busy street, so anything that I leave out is usually picked up quickly by a neighbor who may have a use for it. My office often sponsors charitable clothing drives where warm coats, old blue jeans, or old sneakers are requested.

Finally, there's the quilting stash...

My personal motto which is shown on the wall of my Studio.

Will I make a dent in 2015? I sure hope so. In 2014, I only finished three quilts (I didn't keep track of how many I started...) but ALL of them were made from my stash. I'm not going to do anything crazy like promise to stop buying fabric. However, I do promise to look in my stash first before purchases are made...

I’m looking forward to 2015. I plan to embrace my word and use it as my mantra. And if my path to “reduce” goes as planned, my word for 2016 will be “rejoice.”

What’s your word for 2015?

Wishing all of you a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2015! May all your seams be straight!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

P.S. Do you remember my word for 2014? I'll give you a hint. I failed miserably at keeping my word of 2014 and I'll write a post about it soon.

Confessions of a Bad Blogger...

You know you've been a bad blogger when your own Mother complains. FYI, I talk to my Mom on the phone every day, so she has a first-hand narrative version of what appears on the blog, but apparently she also likes the written version... so Mom, this one's especially for you.

There has been no apparent reason for my absence from Blog-land. Ironically, I have been on vacation since 5:00 p.m., on December 12th. I return to work this upcoming Monday, December 29th, and I'm sure that within 15 minutes of my arrival, it will seem like I have never left. Every day my Mom asks me if I'm tired of being on vacation, and the answer is still "no."

So what have I been doing with myself for two weeks? Time has flown by and I don't have much to show you. I had grandiose plans of sewing and blogging every day as well as cleaning my house from top to bottom as well as getting back in shape and losing 50 lbs. Okay, my plans may have been a little extreme...

Ski and Sew
Mike and I went to Vermont for a few days during week one of vacation for what we like to call "Ski and Sew." We rented a condo at Okemo and Mike skied for two days, while I sewed (actually shopped). The Vermont quilting economy took a sharp uptick since there were two fabulous quilt shops within 20 minutes of our lodging, as well as a third fabulous shop on the way home.

My first stop was Waterwheel House Quilt Shop in Londonderry, Vermont.

The view from the front porch at Waterwheel House Quilt Shop.

More Kaffe-alicious goodness at Waterwheel House Quilt Shop.

This was only my second visit to Waterwheel House Quilt Shop, but it did confirm its status as one of my favorite quilt shops. This is a shop catering to quilters who love modern fabric and bright colors. They have a huge selection of Kaffe Fassett fabrics and a ton of gorgeous samples, plus lots and lots of kits! Just revisiting my own pictures is tempting me to call the shop this morning when it opens to see if there is a kit for that gorgeous yellow and red Trip Around the World quilt in the top left...

Next, I visited Country Treasures in Chester, Vermont. This shop is deceptively small from the front. Once you go inside, it is an Alice-in-Wonderland rabbit warren of rooms, and it is two floors! I asked one of the clerks if they do a head count before they close to prevent locking customers in the store. She laughed and said, "yes!" Apparently they've had a couple of close calls. The fabrics are in groupings by theme in each room. Despite their "country" name, they have an entire room full of batik.

I had so much fun in Country Treasures that I visited it twice. There is also a great little sandwich shop in the same plaza. Sue, the owner of the quilt shop, was really nice and spent about an hour helping me choose 20 batiks for a future bargello quilt.

I bought this cute little kit to make for my husband, Mike.
They are ukuleles, but I may modify them to make them guitars instead.

On the way home, Mike and I also stopped at Quilt-a-way Fabrics in Westminster, Vermont. I didn't take any photos, but this shop is also FABULOUS! They had even more batik than Country Treasures! Plus a huge selection of everything else.

I did do a little sewing during our Ski and Sew.

I finished a few more panels for my blue and purple scrap wave.
This isn't sewn together yet, so don't be fooled into thinking it is close to being finished...

Pug Time
When we returned from Vermont, I spent a lot of time with the Pug Boys. Although they were well cared for in our absence, nothing beats a little (a lot) of Mommy time.

The view from my lap. From right to left: Elvis, LarryPug and Romeo.

Romeo, upper left, Elvis, upper right, and LarryPug, front and center (as usual).

Holiday Celebrations
I had a festive pancake breakfast with my friend Eleanor. She rarely appears in my blog because she isn't a quilter, but she is one of my dearest friends.

Eleanor is also a dog mommy. She has a Scottish Terrier named Cole Haan.

Mike and I celebrated Chanukah, which started December 16th. We even brought our Menorah to our Ski and Sew trip. This Menorah is very special to me. My Mom gave it to me. She bought it when she was in college.

This was Night Seven!

I got a wonderful surprise gift from my friend LeeAnna who blogs at Not Afraid of Color. Don't you just love my Chanukah Pug Snow Globe? I think he looks just like Romeo. To see more of LeeAnna's snow globes, click here, here and here.

Our Chanukah Pug Snow Globe is hanging on our refrigerator. I may leave it up all year.

This guy had a birthday! Romeo turned 13 on December 23rd.

Romeo grudgingly let me pick him up for the photo.

Studio Time
Joannie and I did a little sewing. I finished the top of Flourish, an original pattern by my friend Karen Pratt from QuiltLily Designs. If you want to make exactly the same one as shown below, you can buy a kit on Etsy. Tell Karen that I sent you.

LeeAnna's gift, shown above, has inspired me.
I'm planning to add some pugs and baubles to my tree.

Joannie actually ran out of projects on Monday evening, so we had an impromptu "staple night" and used my new staple gun to recover the ironing board in the Studio and create a second design wall panel. Joannie's husband, Dan, is going to come over one night and screw the design wall panels into the wall.

Here is Joannie preparing the fabric before we attached it to the ironing board.

Here is the newly recovered ironing board!

The ironing board is wood so we could staple right into it. We left the old yucky cover on, and added a layer of heat resistant fabric with upholstery weight zebra print on top of it.

I also did 87 loads of laundry, went to two fabulous holiday parties (thank you Thursday Girls and Sue), watched my own private mini marathon of DVR'ed episodes of Love It or List It and Property Brothers, and cleaned the garage.

Two days remaining of vacation, I must stop blogging and take the puggies for a morning walk so I can come back and SEW!

Ok, I guess that I had a little more to show you than I thought. If you're still reading, thanks for visiting!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy

Happy Holidays!

I have sent a pug holiday card since I brought home Romeo in 2001. On my own, they were fairly simple affairs, but once Mike and I got together in 2008, they morphed into grander proportions. Mike is a talented designer and a whiz with PhotoShop. I'm extremely creative and a good copywriter. Together, we make a great team!

This is our card for 2014. Mike really wanted to do a cartoon style card. He created it using several different filters, and a little bit of drawing, with PhotoShop and Illustrator. This year our card was mostly Mike, my input was to add a party hat for Romeo and to wish him a Happy Birthday. Romeo turned 13 on Tuesday!

To read Romeo's 2012 birthday post and to see more pug photos, click here.


Have a wonderful day!

Pugs and kisses,
Nancy