stocking up ...

Must be going to snow. The birds are flocking to the feeder like old folks to the grocery store at the mere mention of a storm. (Should that be expressed the other way around? Oh well ... same diff ... they are all stocking up.)

Traci was in the studio yesterday. She finished this scrappy cooperative-effort quilt done by a group of her friends and associates (78x99 inches, approx.) to be raffled off in May to benefit the Juvenile Diabetes Research Fund.

















Although you can't really see it in this not-so-hot photo, it's done with a stars and loops pattern all over. The back is a very pretty light blue. You can contact her for tickets (607) 425-8974 -- The small donation for the tickets will go to a very important cause.

When she finished that, Traci quilted some VERY pretty fabric with a butterfly pattern that is just beautiful. She is going to use it to construct a(nother) tote, and promises to bring it back to show me the finished product. I'm guessing it's going to be a very pretty bag.

While she was busy on one machine, I used another to finish up a customer's quilt. The owner wanted an all-over meander. EZPZ ... I got the over-sized queen piece quilted in about 2-1/2 hours. Ta-Da! Once that was off my ticket, I decided to give that new shiny new thread a whirl (see Feb 3 post). I have got to tell you ... this stuff worked like a charm! It's as colorful and shiny as rayon, but without the tension/breakage issues that rayon creates. I'll be keeping it in the studio now that I'm certain it is a dependable thread. Oh ... and the price ... unbelievably affordable. Can you see it here?


















"Life is a shipwreck, but we must not forget to sing in the lifeboats. -- Voltaire