FYI= For Your Inspiration

Holy cow!  It's been almost a month since my last post.  Sorry for the long absence.  I've had a few challenges lately.  
Namely:
1.  Jack hammering in my living room to find the source of what may or may not be a slab leak (long story)
2.  A sprain on my left ankle -2 days before the Long Beach show
3.  A sprain on my right ankle -3 weeks later
4.  A very banged up and scraped left knee- hurts like *&!@%
Numbers 2 through 4 were all caused by wearing high heels- the same pair, mind you.  But please don't vilify all high heels.  Just this pair of black patent stilettos which definitely will not be worn again.  Drats!  I bought the same pair in fire engine red.  I may have to burn some sage to cleanse it of bad juju.

I saw this poster on Pinterest which I definitely need to have!

So after I tripped and fell on my left knee, I dusted myself off, held my head high and trudged off in pain (no limping, no whining)  to get a tetanus shot.  Now, I'm covered for the next 10 years.

Anyhoo, I thought I'd at least share some of the gorgeous quilts from the Long Beach Quilt Show.  They are truly an inspiration.

First up is this quilt from Karen Eckmeier called Aegean Memories.  Karen wrote the book "Happy Villages" and I definitely want to try this technique someday.

Reasons I love this quilt:   the mosaic tile border, the dolphins and beautiful Santorini.  Santorini is definitely on my bucket list. In fact, I've been collecting postcards, calendars and pictures of Santorini hoping to make a landscape quilt in the future.

Being that I'm a huge fan of appliqued quilts, this immediately caught my attention.  It is called Harmony in Nature by Harumi Asada of Japan.  Isn't it gorgeous?

Wait till you see each circle in close up.  The animals are all so cute and tiny.  I was hoping Ms. Asada had a website or blog so I can find out more about her work but I couldn't find one.

My friend Janet told me I definitely had to check out the Twelve by Twelve exhibit.  These quilts were made by 12 artists who embarked on a quilt challenge together and interpreted a theme on a 12 x 12 inch sized quilt.  They have a book and a website. Here are some of my favorites.

Cacao y Canela from the Chocolate theme

Crime of Passion from the Passion theme

Splish Splash from the Water theme

St. Rose and Her Pinking Shears from the Pink Theme

Ocean Dreaming from the Water theme

Labikeet from the Lorikeet theme

Mt. Hood in Winter from the Blue theme

Enjoy Delicious Twelve Brand Oranges

There were plenty of gorgeous quilts but my short attention span did not allow me to photograph and scrutinize each and every one.

More quilting news next time...

Friendship Group Christmas luncheon

Last Sunday, we had our annual Friendship Group Christmas luncheon and this year we we held it at the Cedar Creek Inn.  We've been together as a group since 2001 and we meet monthly to sew, eat and chat.

For the third year in a row, we picked names and either made a gift or bought a gift for that individual.  So, this year, I'd like to share some of the beautiful gifts and creations with you.

"M" received a beautiful table runner and bird house from "K".

"K" received a table topper and gift card from "L".

"L" received a pattern and a wall hanging from me.

I received a pattern, some fabric and a gift card from "J".

"J" received this clear pegboard and a Kai rotary cutter from "P".

"P" received a beautiful wall hanging from "N".

"N" received a Christmas themed table runner from "S"

"S" received this fragrance warmer from "M" (who also picked up the lunch tab for S as part of her gift).

"L" also made these very cute pincushions for all of us!

   And "K" made her famous fudge and jams for us.  No photo because I ate mine already.

Here are a couple of photos of the goat wallhanging I made.  "L" likes goats and she named this goat Willi (pronounced Villie).  She says it reminds her of the goat across the street from her Oma's house in Germany.  Awww... I love that!  This is a McKenna Ryan pattern.

And finally, I have to post a picture of my furry boots.  I call them my "Winter Wonderland" boots and I love them.  Not a pair to walk a mile in (heck, not even a quarter of a mile), but those who know me know I have a shoe fetish and sometimes, fashion trumps function!