switching gears

I'm going to a quilting retreat this weekend at sunday river. I am ridiculously excited... just because I think I need it (mentally). and I have a lot to get done (quiltingly). well, there are two things in particular that need to be completed.

1. my round robin blocks for the kosher pickles
2. the wedding quilt for my friends... who'll be celebrating their one-year anniversary on monday.

I have some other projects, too, that I am bringing with me... but those are the major things that I need to finish. I'm also bringing some stamping, too, because I have a few cards that I need to make (namely b-day cards for my mom and dad whose birthdays were nov. 2 and oct. 25, respectively). we'll see how those end up. especially since my mom is going to be there with me. although... she's made cards for me while I've been sitting only five feet from her and just said, "ok... don't look at what I'm making." :) oh mom...

I'm also bringing "eclipse". I haven't had the chance to really start reading it... so I'm greatful for the opportunity. I've been able to escape in these books. it's enough fantasy so you know it's not going to happen... you're not that far out of reality... but enough of a realistic story line, generally speaking, that it leaves you longing for the relationship that bella has with edward. perhaps I'll have to pick up book four, too, while I'm home. :) I hear walmart has the lowest prices.

in other quilt-related news, I got an email from the maine quilts coordinator. she asked if I would be interested in working something out for doing the photography for next year's show... which honestly surprised me. I thought that I was going to be booted from the position given the lack of, well, interest that I showed for finishing anything up on time. but, she seems willing to give me another try. I'm concerned because I don't want to take on too much with my sign chair responsibilities plus the classes I want to take. I don't want her to regret her decision to try it again. however, I enjoyed doing it... I got to really see the show and it was fun. plus, there was a stipend, which helped pay for my room/board for the show. thoughts on what I should do? I have kind of made a decision, but I'm intrigued to hear what anyone else might have to say.

and speaking of maine quilts 2009... the teacher and class listing has been posted to the website. if you are in the area, take a peek at what is available... we've got some great instructors this coming summer. july 24-26 are the dates. come on up to augusta!! :) oh, and check out the photos that I took for maine quilts 2008, too! it took me long enough... I may as well tell people to look at 'em!

and the weekend after... the final weekend of july is the greater hartford quilt guild's quilt show. I haven't decided if I'll volunteer for anything, or just enter somethings... or just go to look for once. :) we'll see...

I Quilted!

ok ok... so really I just cut some stuff out. but it is SO a step in the right direction. I've been in such a funk for a lot of reasons... one of which was my lack of direction in terms of my creativity. I have a lot that I want to be working on, but during my "free time" I have been doing nothing. but last night, after dinner with das's grandparents, I decided I needed to go downstairs and do... something... anything... just DO. so I got out a kit I had bought from pincushion boutique (at maine quilts 2008). this is for a friend of mine who gave birth in june to a beautiful baby boy. they are using frogs as their theme. this particular kit uses green minkie dots plus frog/green/blue oh, so soft fat quarters. each of the fat quarters needed to be cut into a variety of strips. it kind of reminds me of a YBR, but perhaps smaller, and a little more complicated block-wise. it will be interesting how this ultimately goes together... I'm excited to see. I think that I will definitely need to figure out a way to put up my design wall in order to work this. I attempted hanging it with electrician's tape, but that worked for about two hours at best. I think I just need some good ol' fashioned duck tape... maybe das can "borrow" some from work for me. I only need a couple of strips!!

so I had the responsibility of doing the photography for maine quilts 2008. which I did. however, I've been having such a hard time getting motivated to do anything that I put off prepping the photos... all gazillion of them (seriously, there had to be, like, 600 or something). I told the coordinator that it would be done by the 15th... I just sent them out yesterday. I feel so awful... such a failure. I don't doubt that she won't ask me to return to the post for 2009, but at least I had the opportunity to do it once. I hate these stupid little "episodes" that I go through... lately there've been a lot more. das and I have talked about it... but maybe this turnaround with my quilting will help. I'm joining a local guild starting monday (yay!) plus doing the guild back home, too. hopefully this is a step in the right direction... I hate the disappointment and knowing I let someone down.

speaking of maine quilts 2009, I figured I'd post the teachers that we'll be having next year.

• karen boutte (benicia, CA)
• linda cantrell (fletcher, NC)
• jo diggs (portland, ME)
• brenda henning (anchorage, AK)
• kathy kansier (ozark, MO)
• dodi poulsen (bremerton, WA)
• carole samples (omaha, NE)
• michele scott (philadelphia, PA)
• ami simms (flint, MI)
• karen stone (dallas, TX)
• carol taylor (pittsford, NY)

ok, so based on just the initial impression... I think I will be most intrigued by jo diggs (she comes to maine quilts every year as a merchant; her landscapes are exquisite), brenda henning (I love her triangulations), dodi poulsen, and ami simms (anyone who uses a bobbin holder as a margarita salter is aok in my book). I think that they are just too fun for me to pass up... of course, that is four people... and there are three days of classes. so perhaps my mom and I will have to split it up a little bit and take the class the other wants to take so at least we get part of the experience. :) I know that she's probably more along the lines of what I am interested in... given the other quilters available for class. we're just not down with the crazy quilting, or the art quilting. not that there is anything wrong with that... it's just our style. :) landscape quilting is about as crazy as I get with my quilts. :)

ok, well that's all for now. have a great day!