Spring Fever!

The snow is gone, the ice is out, the ducks are back and the eagle is in her nest! Spring has finally sprung here in the Northeast - Maine in particular! We have had some really nice days - 50's mostly but still rather nippy at night! But summer is coming and it makes me happy! I love the heat! I lived in Texas for many many years and I never complained when it was 100 degrees, 100% humidity and no rain in sight!! My friends thought I was bonkers!! LOL Since moving back home to Maine 7 years ago I realized how much I truly did love the heat! I was born here in Maine and lived here for my first 35 years so I am familiar with the climate changes but after so many years away, it took some getting used to! Now I rejoice anytime the sun shines and I absolutely love summers - all 2 months!! LOL

I have posted a few more pictures in my album - I didn't realize that I had never posted my "Split Personality" quilt on here!! That is the 2nd or 3rd pattern I tested for my friend Koleen, an independent pattern designer. You can go to her website at www.thequiltedcardinal.com to see all of her patterns. She is truly talented! She also has a book and DVD entitled "Hodgepodge" in which she demonstrates freemotion quilting. I believe she also has pantographs available with the hodgepodge design as well. That is her talent in the quilting on this one - not me!! She is a gifted longarm quilter!

I have been busy reorganizing my sewing space - yes! still! I've got a lot of stuff, more than I realized! How does that happen? For one thing, I was spending winters in Florida until last year so I have a lot of duplicates - much of that is going to be donated to my local quilt group's annual auction in June - that frees up a lot of space! But not fabric!! I don't get rid of fabric - I hope to live long enough to use it!! I have way more UFO's and WIP's than I thought but I am slowly getting those to the "finished but not quilted" stage. I found a bunch of kits that I had purchased from all over the place - those don't count until I actually start cutting the fabrics - thank goodness!! AND, magazines! I just can't seem to part with them!

I had to stop in the middle of cleaning to make a couple of samples for a class that I am teaching in a couple of weeks. I thought I had some all made but discovered that I had given them all away!! These I will keep for myself!

I am off to Manchester, NH on Wednesday to attend MQX (Machine Quilter's Expo). This year, for the first time I am taking classes - plus I signed up for Bob Purcell's lecture - Thread Therapy 101 - I hear he is an absolute hoot!! I now find that I can buy his DVD for less that the price of the lecture!! I am sure I will enjoy listening and meeting him in person too! I'll give a full report when I get home.