Thursday, December 28, 2023

Retirement?

Retirement.  What is that?

Here's a definition that pops up when you google definition of: 

Definitions from Oxford Languages

re·tire·ment: /rəˈtī(ə)rm(ə)nt/ noun the action or fact of leaving one's job and ceasing to work


????

Ceasing to work?

Nope, I'm ready for that....but the 8:00-4:30, M-F, weekends, and major holiday gig is over.   It was fun, but sometimes life changes things. Unfortunately, our family has been dealing with a few things in the last few months, but who hasn't? Life.....

Not sure where I'm going from here.  Quilting, maybe, yes, but not like before.  I'm going to take a bit of time to sort things out.

Stay tuned, just know that "ceasing to work" is NOT in my vocabulary, but slowing down and taking time for me.

Thanks for checking on me,

hugs,

joanne
love to hear what you've got to say.........

Saturday, January 8, 2022

Even the good things in life change.....


Way too often taking care of ourselves seems to be the lowest task on our list of priorities. Along those lines, I will no longer be accepting quilts for machine quilting.  I am slowing things down for a while and changing the scenery in my life in a very big way. 

Not sure how long this change will be but I hope at some point to return to quilting for all of you great quilters.  It has been fun, challenging, and a great learning experience.  But a new opportunity has come along and this is where I change the direction of my life, at least for a while.

I will (hope) to continue to blog, it has been something that I have enjoyed but at times was a huge burden.  Hopefully, with the quilting slowing down I will once again take pleasure in posting. I have a few months of quilts that I still need to post and will be doing so soon, don't forget to check back!

I print my blog, (Blogs2Print) it is a fantastic way to keep track of all of those truly fabulous quilts that I have had the pleasure to be a small part of the finishing process. 

So for now, the machines are quiet, lights are out and I'll be turning my focus in a different direction.

Thanks for checking on me,
hugs,

joanne

love to hear what you've got to say.............



Thursday, December 30, 2021

July 2021 Edit and publish

 Moving right along to the July quilts.  We've got quite a few this month and each one is just more marvelous than the last one. Let's get on to the show.

This quilt is so cute!!  It's sure to be a great fundraiser for Renie's Garden Club.  What a fun design for the flower lovers out there! Very modern design and a fun, simple design for the quilting.



Here's Jane's latest.  How great is the blue sashing on this one?  A huge mix of great fabrics and a smashing blue sashing and you've got a really great quilt!  Finish it off with a super cute modern quilting design and it's just one notch better. 

Frances is back this month with three quilts.  Her first two are super cute baby quilts that I know are just going to be loved by their new little owners.  The first one has the cutest little frogs and of course, we had to have frogs for the quilting.  Super cute! It's about mermaids in her second quilt so we went with a totally circular quilting design.  


This blue and white will make the perfect sofa quilt to use as an accent piece.  The bold contrast will brighten any living space.  Ultra-modern quilting design for the finish.

Jo is back again this month with a couple of wonderful quilts.  Her first is a super fun design that she tells me is easier than it looks!  The batiks matched with the white definitely show off the quilt design.  A super fun paisley quilting design was the perfect way to go for finishing off this one nicely.

OMG!!  You have got to click on the photos of this one.  The focus fabric is super cute and fun. Matching the theme of all things girlie, check out the quilting, LOVE IT!!

WOW!! How cool is this amazing quilt from Mary?  The movement of the design is stunning!  There are so many different designs in this one, what a smashing quilt! We tried to keep the quilt moving with the quilting and I think we did a pretty good job!

Here's another baby quilt from Jeanne.  This time it's a girly quilt with all the lovely 30's prints.  Jeanne opted for a  minky backing again, making this one just loveable.  A very light modern floral was the finishing touch for this one.

Michele is back this month with an impressive bargello using greens and purples.  This incredible quilt will be gifted to a niece as a wedding gift.  Festive Hearts was definitely the way to go to add the perfect touch to finish this quilt.

Simply beautiful. Kristina made this quilt to go on their bed, and every day kinda quilt. Yay Kristina!  The colors and the simplicity make this one soft and very easy on the eyes.  We selected a modern floral with a hint of paisley for the quilting design.  

Just take a look at all of the leaves that Patti machine appliqued on this next quilt! She did a fantastic job turning this simple strip quilt into something way over the top.  There are dragonflies also appliqued on making the leaf and dragonfly quilting design a perfect fit.

Another applique quilt this month came in from Amy. She added trees and flower shapes to the border of this quilt top.  The brighter fabrics in the blocks match the applique and are paired perfectly with the darker background fabric. Another wonderful quilt.

Repeat after me "quilts do not have to be complicated to be wonderful".  Here's a cute little person's quilt from Elizabeth.  The modern prints are just fabulous and the simple design is perfect.  Wonderful.

The fabrics and quilting make this a great quilt for someone who may live near or just love the ocean.  The blue colors of the fabric are reminiscent of the ocean waters and the print is perfect to bring up memories of soft waves hitting the shore.  Finishing off with an ocean quilting design was excellent.  Good job, Elizabeth.

Here's another great scrap buster from Terry. Scrappy and fabulous is just her style.  What is not to love about this superb quilt.  Easy, stash busting, and gorgeous, three elements of a perfect quilt.

Penny kept me busy for a couple of days with the following quilts.  The first quilt is all kinds of fun ocean prints quilted using an ocean theme stitching design. Love the fabrics on this one!




Another great fabric line is here in this adorable little quilt.  The colors are just fabulous! A fun modern design works well on this quilt.




Who does not just love bears on a baby quilt?  Perfect for a new little one this quilt is finished with a star quilting design to match the border fabric.




Penny's final quilt was made for her daughter.  The owl fabric in tones of browns and blues is so relaxing, just perfect for a quilt.  A minky backing will make this one very loved. We finished it off with a feather quilting design.




How cool is this modern quilt from Cathy?  It's heading to the Cornish, NH fair once the binding is on and should show very, very well.  Cathy tells me this is a pretty simple construction but I'm thinking the color layout might be a challenge for most.  Cathy did an excellent job! 




Congrats to Kathy for the ribbon!



Jackie did a fantastic job on this fun t-shirt quilt. I believe she told me this quilt would be going to college with its owner. With the minky backing, Jackie used this quilt will be a great reminder of the comforts of home.  




Pat did a great job working with a layer cake on this half-square triangle quilt!  The colors are so bold and funky! We used modern paisley for the quilting making this one modern and fun!

That wraps up another month of quilting here.  More quilts coming as I try to finish posting the 2021 quilts that have come my direction.

Thanks for checking on me,

hugs,

joanne

love to hear what you've got to say...........