It "Has" Been a While...

But I haven't been laying around like a lazy couch potato.  I have been mostly shoveling snow from the walkway and scraping ice from the car windows.  But in between that time, I have been able to do a little sewing along with some other fun experiences.  First up - I participated in a Facebook group to create a mystery quilt by Gyleen Fitzgerald.  It was a five-part mystery using my existing scrap stash.  The mystery has ended and the final quilt revealed.  It is called, Odds, Ends, and Leftovers. The pattern can be found on Gyleen's website.  It was a lot of fun to make and instructions were easy to follow along.  While I used my scrap stash, I basically kept the color scheme to varying shades of the Mardi Gras colors,  purple, green and gold. I was surprised that I had soooo much of each color.  I didn't have to sneak and buy not one thing.  I renamed the quilt "Home for Mardi Gras."  The top is done.  I found a piece of backing fabric large enough to complete the back and it will soon be off to my friend Carrie for quilting.

Last week, my quilt buddies and I made our annual trek to Hampton, VA for the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival.  Now, if you are a weather junkie, you know that we have been experiencing some rather strange weather on the east coast as well as in the Washington, DC area.  We usually look forward to getting away to Hampton because it gives us a break from the February cold.  But not this time.  While the forecast in Washington, DC called for a dusting to possibly 3 inches of snow, the Hampton Roads area got almost 12 inches of snow.  This was an anomaly for them and they were a bit overwhelmed.  But we persevered and made it through the weekend with late night sewing sessions, lots of eats and good friends.  I always look forward to this event.  Seeing all of the wonderful and creative quilts usually gives me encouragement, a jolt of creativity, and a sense of inspiration.  Here are a few photos of quilts at the show that were snapped by my friend Michelle Perkins.  She is a wonderful quilt artist and so inspiring.  Plus, she keeps me in line when I try to wimp out or have one of my moments.  She has created a line of patterns and I am proud of her.  Take a look at her website here.  I took the picture of the quilt inspired by Judy Niemeyer's Marine Compass.  It was made by Susie Jacobs from Lynchburg, VA.  This quilt is definitely on my quilt bucket list.

I wish the producers would create a CD of all of the quilts.  You just can't see everything.   A lot of the smaller shows have them and it just makes enjoying the quilts so much nicer.  I keep making the suggestion.  Maybe one day they will actually read them.  Thanks for hanging in there with me.