My quilting Life

Sometimes I have just too many ideas running around in my head.  I started to work on a new pattern this week.  I am using up some batiks from my stash that have been sitting on the shelf just waiting for me to notice them.  I did not have all of the colors I wanted to use so am blending in some regular quilting cottons.  Edyta Sitar of Laundry Basket Quilts assures me it is okay to mix them up.  I did learn an important lesson though.  Since I prewash my regular quilting fabric I decided I better do the same with the batiks.  Oh and I am so glad I did!  The beautiful maroon color I chose was a fat quarter that I hand washed in the bathroom sink-boy did it turn the water red.  I rinsed and rinsed that piece until my water was clear.  I would have been really disappointed the first time I washed this quilt had that deep red run into the lighter farbics.

My studio is filling up with Half-square Triangles.  I admit it can get a little monotonous trimming those HST's but they are so versatile and give me lots of options for designs.  When I need to make a large number of them I tend to break them down into smaller workable groups...and then treat myself to a bite of chocolate for a job well done in between, lol.

I am loving this one, and think I will be making a version with Christmas fabrics next.  
I am also working on a Paper Pieced tree quilt...it is a simple shape and I hope to do some upcoming lessons on how I have begun to use this technique.  It really opens up doors for some beautiful designs and accurate piecing.  I have not snapped any photos of that one yet, maybe next week...

We have had some pretty cold nigthtime temperatures lately.  The chill in the air and the shorter days are bringing many of our winter birds back into the area.  I have some backyard beauties that are always around  though...

Winter also means the return of large numbers of Bald Eagles.  This one posed nicely for me the other evening.  Ken and I participate in the Winter Raptor Survey so we will be going out once a month and counting all of the Eagles, Hawks, Falcons, Owls, etc that we see on our specific route.  We have been eagerly anticipating this weekend when we hit the road to do our first survey in a lovely area to our north.  There is so much inspiration in nature, my choice of colors often reflects the natural world around me.  God puts things together in ways that often catch me by surprise-what a color palette He has given us to work with.

My first edition of Tuned into Quilting went out today. 
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I hope you have a wonderful weekend and...
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Happy Quilting