Skiing the Ghee!

This is the third time our grandkids have skied Targhee. Both were able to ski the lower mountain without assistance. They also both ventured up on Dreamcatcher and Blackfoot chairs to ski Chief Joseph Bowl, the ridge, and Wild Turkey. At the end of the trip, neither wanted to come home. That's a nice feeling.

Fun times!

Besides skiing, we ventured into the hot tub and pool. Had an Easter egg hunt in the condo. Visited Jackson Hole and the information center. And some wonderful meals at the Branding Iron Grill at Targhee. Delicious!

Heading west

Of course we had to stop and see the Prairie dogs. Not many made an appearance, but they sure were noisy when we got close to them!

Targhee, here we come!

We are heading out to Grand Targhee for our Spring ski trip. Don't know what skiing we will have, or how long we will be there. All I know is tomorrow we head west. Skiing equipment and sewing supplies are packed. Photos to follow.

Busy times

No photos with this post. Just nothing exciting to photograph right now. Looking outside, most of our snow is gone, which means Spring is just around the corner. Some days we have been in the 60's, and this morning we were back in the 20's. That's what you get in Minnesota. So our flowers have decided to wait a bit before popping their shoots through the soil.

This past weekend I was able to get out with some friends to visit a few quilt shops. Rarely do I go anymore, for obvious reasons. I don't need any more fabric! But the opportunity to visit a small quilt show was enough to persuade me. I love seeing what others are doing. Gets my creative juices or sewing juices moving!

Working nearly full-time leaves little sewing time, especially with a family. I now understand why there are very few young married with children quilters. When would you quilt? I try to do something quilt related each day, even if only for 15 minutes. I was able to get some star points cut this weekend. Now to sew them.

Weekend can not get here too soon!!!

Giants Ridge

What a nice change. Warm temps over 63F in northern Minnesota. Mash potatoes for snow. What can you expect when it is that warm. Skied a few runs, met some neat people, and had some unique food. Here are a few pictures. Chicken wrap and onion rings (not greasy!) at the ski area. Then some great Mexican food at a local restaurant in Virginia Minnesota.

I brought sewing with me, but ended up skiing instead. Focusing on the sewing and my frame setup this week when I am not working. Sunshine in Minnesota today. Supposed to get up to 60F today. Will all the snow be gone? How about flowers? Doubt the flowers will pop out yet, but they should be here soon.

Springtime

Just around the corner, Spring. Actually has been knocking at our door on and off for a few weeks. Went skiing a week ago on March 5th, when the kids didn't have school. It was so nice to be out in the sunshine still skiing. This weekend Jim and I are heading north to Giants Ridge. Jim is teaching a clinic, so I am driving up with him to keep him company and have a mini-vacation. Supposed to rain. Hopefully it won't.

Next week my hope is to finish assembling my Hinterberg frame. Can't wait to get quilting again! It has been nearly a year since I took down my other frame.

Fast forward

In the past year I have sold my one quilting frame, purchased another and had knee replacement surgery. Unfortunately the new frame arrived just prior to the surgery, so didn't get assembled right away. Then the school year started, and therefore work for me too.

Finally realized that I must prioritize what needed to be done and focus on it. I am now to the point of setting up my frame. It is the Hinterberg Summit frame. Comes with wonderful directions, but you still have to put the frame together. So here is stage one. Hopefully by next weekend it will be set up and ready for quilting again. Cross your fingers!

The way it was

Five years ago someone asked to see my sewing space. I took photos and posted them on my community webshots page. How neat and organized I was. Fast forward five years, three additional people living in our home, and you get the picture. Well, actually you won't. I am in the midst of setting up my new quilting frame. Once that has been accomplished, I will post new photos. In the meantime, you can see the way it was.

Progress

At the request of quilting friends, here is how the first blocks are turning out for my DD Celestial Puzzle quilt. Eventually I will have 64 of these puppies sewn. It takes about an hour to do the four pictured. But that time is usually not spent on sewing alone.

I watched a few moments of a show this weekend about procrastination. One woman that was interviewed sounded like me. Trying to fill every moment of the day with chores, errands, work, kids, you name it, she was doing it. To me, this lady was not procrastinating. She wasn't allowing any personal moments to herself. Trying to do too much.

My few moments are spent working on something I love to do. Quilt. Enjoy!

Organized Random?

Quilters have heard this term. We want our quilts that have multiple fabrics to look like they were pieced with a variety of fabrics. Random placement of many wonderful fabrics. BUT can we just pull strips out of a bag and let them be where they end up being? No. Or at least I can't.

Organized random. That's a very technical quilting term. For this quilt I have over 20 dark batiks and 10 light batiks. I want them to "play nicely" with each other. Don't want to end up with two of the same fabric or color sewn right next to each other. It will catch the viewers eye and then who knows?

As you can see by my little piles, I have sorted my 20+ fabrics so that when they are sewn into blocks, I won't end up with all green or burgandy dot batik in the last few blocks. Random yes. Organized, definitely yes!

Celestial Puzzle

Next project started several years ago. An idea? Stars. Fabrics? Batiks. A pile of fabric sat on my ironing board for over a year. This quilt would be for one of my daughters, and her husband. Needed to be the right pattern. Not interested in a Double Wedding Ring quilt. Something similar, but what? Several patterns came and went. I was never really happy with any of them. Headed over to one of my favorite Minnesota quilt shops, Glad Creations in Minneapolis. Their patterns are wonderful. Looked again through their line of patterns, and Celestial Puzzle caught my eye. Perfect for my fabrics, again from my stash. Some day I may use up that stash. We will see.

Cuts, cuts, and more cuts. I am still cutting. Focus and cut. Recalculate amount to cut. Did I add it up right? Increased the quilt from queen size to king size. If I messed up, there is still more fabric that can be used. No worries. Just keep on cutting. Is the end in sight? Not today.

Imagination Fair

This year's Imagination fair at school had to do with "keys". Haley chose animals and keys. Made this lovely picture. Even Jim says she is better at drawing than him! Quite a variety at the fair last night. Everything from keys made out of legos, Florida Keys, to piano keys. Can you find the keys in the picture? Might be a little difficult. Cat and dog have keys on their collars. Birds are trying to catch keys in their beaks!

Finished!

First completion for 2010. Finished from my batik stash. Need to get a label on it, then off to it's new owner. She has waited long enough for it.

Thanks Vikings!

Thanks Vikings for a great football season!