A day of quilting Butterfly Kisses and Celebrating a family of geese

A gorgeous day at Edmond's beach.....so fun to watch the small children playing in the sand, listening to the ferry's horn as it departed and to think of Grandpa Dave as a train passed behind me. A year ago this was the first quilt pictured above, Surf and Sand, I created after having moved to Seattle area. It dawned as me as I was piecing Butterfly Kisses that it is a near year to the date of having pieced Surf and Sand and I am using same fabrics and color scheme....Thinking that each year in April I will piece a new quilt for the series. Plenty for next year's quilt tucked away in a drawer. Ever take a right turn on your travels when your destination is straight ahead? Two days ago on the way to a lunch date with Sean in Georgetown, I had the feeling I should go to Alki Beach in West Seattle. I had an hour....TO my delight as I chose a spot to sit and listen to the barking seals and lapping waves, in front of me was a family of Geese and to watch the triplets sleep, wake up, and then take a field trip was a delight. Happy Thursday! Off to enjoy a day of sunshine with my hubby. Em

Yin-Yang, Celebrating a fallen cowboy and Butterfly Kisses....

I love this Fresh Lemons pattern. Have you visited her blog? It is fabulous!!!! I am titling this quilt, Butterfly Kisses, celebrating a very fun way to love my husband...light rub cheek to cheek and giggles in the heart! Still recall him introducing them to me..... Much to my delight as I was reading this Noteworthy fabric, a bucket list item is a Kenny Chesney concernt...funny thing, on mine too and tickets for June 1st....so fun! A moment of quiet as I create this block and grieve for a young cowboy murdered in my hometown nearly 2 years ago....the photography of the elk herd on his Ranch always stike me with awe. Cannot fathom the grief that the parents still experience as I read their Facebook posts and missing and celebrating their son. Yin-Yang of my quilt room.....From random scraps is born an organized grouping of blocks that create a quilt

Celebrating Earth Day a few days early! With any good celebration comes a spunky group of invitees!

Today the house was quiet and I awoke with a mini quilt in mind....been brewing for a long time....as long as the Quiltmania issue of last fall celebrated the below quilt...I apologize I do not know the artist or title of quilt but I know that I loved it the moment I saw it. Happy Earth day this Monday and Happy Spring today! Em Beauty of color.....

A mini that captures a taste of Vashon and my birthday with Mom....Ready for Roxy tomorrow.

A mini to celebrate my 40th birthday......Mom and I travelled to Vashon Island and enjoyed a night sleeping in a barn....a night we will never forget as we ate cookies and drank wine, watched movies and the next morning...beheld 2 bald eagles creating their nest. Majestic and beautiful and one of those times that I think, "Glad I ventured to the chilly porch to enjoy the view and coffee." To watch bald eagles coming in to the tree with large sticks in their beaks is inspiring, to see them working together is awe-some. A birthday I will not forget and a reminder for me to look for eagles over the next 40 years of life!

LOVE.....

Sometimes a quilt takes a lot of whacking and reworking and more whacking....I have a ziploc full of scraps from all the whacking.....And then amidst the sadness of the Boston tragedy today, I email and text with friends and create this medallion. It was a journey in my mind as I pieced it, remembering the years of watching my father run marathons, hearing his stories after returning home from the Boston Marathon, my own summer at Harvard during a summer vacation and my young brother remarking to us while walking around the city, "See Boston and Die...." What was funny when he was 8 is heartbreaking to me today. Life is such a spectrum of emotion depending on the context of the moment. LOVE..... LOVE is finding my son and husband chilling on the turf in Woodinville after a pick up game of soccer.... LOVE is playing Lacrosse with friends during Spring Break and me basking in the sun under a quilt reading a good book.... LOVE is spending a week with my sibs and mom and 2 nephews last month..... LOVE is that heartache and giggle all at the same time as I am quilting and homesick for my sis and mom.....LOVE is whole lot of spice withing 4 little letters! LOVE is the Godwinks......what are the chances that I would take my sewing machine to a friend's house today while watching her children and a Valentine card would be on the counter that is the same color scheme as my current LOVE project.....LOVE is finding the saturated joys of LIFE!

And this is why I want Green Fairy to quilt every quilt I create...........

Her gift for quilting is amazing and I miss Judi so much since my move to the NW. This baby quilt is for a special little girl who will arrive in about 8 weeks.......So excited to see Green Fairy next month when she travels to Portland for Market. I am planning on driving down to meet her for lunch and am already giddy to be with her once more. Some people are just so special, Judi is one of them!

Victoria's stunning quilt and Tonya's LOVE block are my inspirations for this WIP.....

I still remember the day I discovered Tonya's Unruly Quilter blog and her LOVE block....I was smitten at first sight. I have played often with her design and then I saw pics of Victoria's winning quilt at Quiltcon of the Double Wedding Ring and have had a subconscious design percolating.....How to mix their 2 talents and inspirations into my own love for house quilts.....this piece began last night....I am not thrilled with it in person but am enjoying the look when photographed....I think I will be whacking and piecing this eve but also wanted to post and celebrate the process of Inspiration that comes from cyber space and friendships. Where this will go, unsure, but hoping in the end I will be happy enough to give to the woman who has ordered a fairy/ woodsy themed quilt.....

Ever spent a summer night under the stars in the desert?

I have longed to make a Mary of Guadalupe quilt for many months....who would have thought that when I asked friends what was on their bucket list for Wednesday that this quilt would materialize that day. Christian responded with a desire to climb a slot canyon in the Southern Utah desert.....and my mind was manic with memories of my hikes in the slot canyons of my homeland and the beauty that the single tall cedar tree would inspire in me as I saw it growing towards the sunshine in the craggy space. Only one tree each time and a wonderful analogy for life and the tenacity to thrive in stark conditions. I am now like a single tree that follows the sun with how few moments I experience it in the NW. A true miracle instead of a gift I take for granted. This piece will take an airplace ride to Maryland on Monday. But until then....My past and present lives hanging side by side in my quilt room. Invokes a smile each time I see them.

Peace Love and Understanding is done!!!!!!!!!! And with her finish I am having an open house of all my realty.....

For my 40th birthday, mom and I went to Vashon Island and I found peace signs fabric and VW buses....I was in love and thought I was going to do a text quilt but then I reverted back to my original love for the wonky house.....I have also decided to try a new style this year for my quilts and that is adding borders. Piece O Cake is my go to for this year's quilts so far having used the Picasso Garden for Emory's baby quilt and now this wonky floral for Peace Love and Understanding. I wish that the large quilt photo was not blurry but hope you enjoy the close up shots. This past week I compiled my quilt pictures into an album on Facebook after hearing from a friend who likes to show them to her friends. Her enthusiasm for my quilts has been very fun and it was such an awesom experience going through the past 5 years of my blog an downloading the photos. So many stories and memories and so many quilts that live with you all.......What a hobby. Below is a collection of my houses quilts. Celebrating the joy of when a house becomes a home!