Webshots Quilts

If you enjoy looking at other people's quilts for inspiration, check out Webshots, a searchable photo album site that has thousands of pages of the most awe-inspiring quilts. I can spend hours just surfing and drooling.
If you have read some of my earlier posts, you know that I do make quilts--rather, I make a quilt now and then. I piece by machine and hand quilt. It takes months to hand quilt a king-size piece. The quilt I am doing now was pieced in 1999--the blocks sat all neatly ironed and stacked for nearly 4 years before I was inspired to sew the top together and quilt it. It will take 100 hours (one hour per block to hand quilt). I started in November and I still have about 35 blocks to go. I don't even know how many hours it took to piece those 1-inch logs.
When I look into some of the personal photo albums from Webshots, I just cannot believe the number of quilts these ladies (and ocassionally men) produce in one year. It just boggles my mind!

Thank you, Mel!

Someone found me! Thank you Mel in the UK for the comment. I would love to know how you came across my blog, so if you wander in again, please let me know. I spent some time today looking for garden blogs. Did a google search and found a couple. There is just not much garden action this time of the year. I like to see pictures of other people's gardens--long shots, not close up flower pics. I want to see how they have integrated their gardens into the overall landscape. If anyone has found a good site , please let me know. If I ever get time, I will attempt to figure out enough html to get a sidebar with links to the blogs I visit. What is the proper netiquette for doing this? Do you ask the author's permission or just post it?

Your never too old to learn

Tonight I have a computer class (Excel)at my local community college. The class is three hours long on Tue. and Thurs. nights. I get home from work, make a quick dinner (left over Chicken Florentine from below), a quick clean up and off I go. I am in bed within half an hour of getting home. It makes for a long day. I am glad this is only a 6-week adventure.

Stuffed Chicken Breasts

I am enjoying just staying inside this cold, snowy weekend. Weather like this always inspires me to cook and bake. Dinner tonight will be stuffed chicken breasts (stuffed with cream cheese, spinach and ham). I made extra so we will have them again later in the work week. While I enjoy cooking on the weekends, I do NOT like to come home from work and cook dinner, so I always try to make extra on the weekends so that I only have to reheat on at least two of the five work days.

Fabric Covered Wastebasket

I also made a matching wastebasket by covering a ho-hum one with the same fabric as the shower curtain. It is a fun, easy project. The fabric is attached by slathering on a decoupage glue (I used Mod Podge) and wrapping the fabric around the container. Once all the fabric and embellishments are on, put a nice layer of the glue over top and let it dry. Apply two or three more layers of the glue. This gives a nice water resistant finish. I found it easiest to put a glob of glue in my glove-protected hand and just rub in on.

Prairie Points

For those who do not know what prairie points are, here is a picture of a shower curtain I made using them. They are the triangle thingies on the edge of the shower curtain.

Log Cabin Quilt Progress

I have been steadily working on my hand quilting since November. So far I have 60 blocks completed and have 40 blocks around the edge to finish (only 40 more hours and the quilting will be done). I was contemplating finishing with prairie points, but after trying it out on the bed today, decided that the length is perfect as is. The prairie points would make it too long. So now I just have to decide on the binding color.

Winter Doldrums

I am so tired of SNOW. We are getting 5 - 6 inches today. It has been bitter cold all week. I am spending my Saturday inside cooking, cleaning, quilting and counting the days until I can enjoy my flowers again.

Flowered Filled Deck

This is the same space a few months ago.

Missing my garden