Quilt Camp in Vermont

Good day to you all and thanks for visiting  today!

Well, let me tell you this: I just spent 4 days with some of the warmest, friendliest, most generous women I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. My sister Tammie invited me to attend the Spring Retreat at Camp Abnaki in Vermont. Camp Abnaki is a YMCA camp for kids. However two times a year it is invaded by quilters! Anywhere from 30-50 members of the Champlain County Quilters Guild of Vermont converge  on the camp for a retreat. This is their 10th retreat and it was such a blessing for me to get  to be there. I met so many beautifully talented and creative quilters who willingly share their vast knowledge of quilting, along with the warmth in their hearts. My sister's friends quickly became my friends too. It is a time to quilt...all day and sometimes all night. A time to come together to to discuss quilting and families, to finish UFOs  (Unfinished Fabric Objects) and to share meals and laughter. It is an opportunity to talk about tips and techniques, news of families, and of course fabric!
The camp is rustic but has all the facilities needed. You had a choice of sleeping arrangements. You could put up a cot and sleep in the big room next to your sewing machine. Or you could sleep in rustic little cabins furnished with bunk beds! The cabins were bare wood floors and walls and no heat. They are equipped with 4 sets of wooden bunk beds. You bring your own sleeping bags, pillows and blankets. It was the best sleep I have had in years!
In the main room everyone picked a spot and set up their own personal tables and sewing machine. Each person brought all the sewing equipment and fabric supplies they needed. We also had ironing stations and cutting stations for everyone to use. Every wall had at least one design wall pinned up and in use! All day and into the late evening you can hear the hum of finely tuned sewing machines along with the talk and laughter of quilters!
There were games played and prized won and of course "show and tell"! Everyone who chose to got to show off what was accomplished at camp this year. One young lady stood out because she is only 18 and has become a very talented and creative quilter. Her name is Sarah and she completed 4 quilt tops in 3 days. (A little side note: At her age it is not hard to pull an all-nighter). She attended with her mother Tammy (with a y) who has taught her well! It was a pleasure meeting both of them.
Two of my new friends, Teela  and Sally, set there all week end and made beautiful kids quilts for charity. Teela found a monster truck panel in her stash and gave it to me to make a quilt for Billy, my grandangel. And Sally found in her stash a very colorful fabric with smiling stars and gave it to me so I could finish his alphabet quilt I had brought with me! It was together and quilted but I had not brought binding with me. Sally to the rescue! I thank both of these warm hearted generous friends. And a special little thanks to Teela for teaching me her neat little trick for mitering corners!

I cannot say enough good things about this experience! It was one of the most joyful and rewarding weekends I have spent in many, many years. I also say a loving thank you to my little sis for inviting me. I had a chance to get to know what a wonderful grown up she has become! She is also very generous with pattern and fabric sharing! My luggage was over stuffed and my heart full of love for her!

I have every intention of returning in Sept for the Fall Retreat! The trees will be wearing their fall colors, the air will be crisp and cool, and I will not be the camp virgin this time! But best of all I will get to visit my new friends again. I will be blessed!

Peace and Prayers
missd

Good Day, thanks for visiting! Already it is mid-April. My mom has returned to Illinois, leaving me with 5 quilt tops to finish. She took her own home with her and my sister will quilt it for her. I am missing her already. We both enjoyed the time we spent sewing together. I called her last night and told her I wanted us to do a block swap for 12 months. She was not sure about it, but I convinced her that I really want to do this with her. I want her to go to the fabric shop with my sister and pick out the focus fabric and two border fabrics and make a block a month. I will do the same for her from here. So now she is excited about this and I can sense the commitment in her voice. I know she will follow thru every month on this. I am so excited to involve her in this! It will be good for her and a blessing for me!

My travels for the GetQuit clinics have slowed down for the summer. There will still be seminars, but not as many. If you are anyone you know is addicted to nicotine go to www. freequitsmokingworkshops.com and find a class near you. I now have a lot of sewing time. Some days I am able to spend 6-8 hours in my sewing center! I am all caught up on my block swaps! I have one mini quilt to finish and 8 more Red,White & Blue  blocks for a swap on the Quilting Forum. I am actually working on the 2nd mini quilt because the first one did not turn out right and I am not sending it anywhere. I pulled a rookie mistake and set my blocks the wrong way. They were mini spool blocks and when I put them together they no longer look like spools. I don't like it at all, so I will re-purpose it. I'll just put it on our dining room table, stick a candle on it and call it a table runner! Today I will make a differnt mini for the swap!

Oh yeah....here is something exciting! At the end of this month I am going on a quilt retreat to Vermont. My sisters quild, Champlain Valley Quilt Guild of Vermont, goes to a quilt camp twice a year. This time I am going with them. I have not seen my sister Tammie in 4 years and I have never been on a quilt retreat, so I am excited about both!

Ok...have a blessed day and thanks again for stopping by!

Peace and Prayers

Good Day to you all,
Such a busy year we have had already. I have been doing a lot of traveling the last 3 months. North and South Carolina mostly, and Ohio next week. We have been told that the clinics will be slowing down for the summer so I should be able to keep up with my quilting, my block swaps and my blogging. I can barely keep up with my 83 year old mom. I just got her started sewing blocks together for quilt tops and she is now on her 6th one. I don't even have the first one quilted yet. She keeps me busy cutting out the blocks and pinning them together for her to sew. She sews so fast, I don't have time enough for keeping her in blocks. I'll have to warn my sister in Illinois. Mom is going back home 1 week from today and I will sure miss her. We have spent a lot of time sewing together and listening to the radio all day. we usually end our day with a cup of decaf. It is the little rituals that I will miss the most. I may have to cut blocks and send to her to keep her busy back home. We will have to see how my sister Linda does in keeping her busy.

I am all excited about Quilt Camp in Vermont. I am all set to go at the end of April. My sister, Tammie,lives there is excited about me coming too! I have never been to her home in Vermont and I have never been on a quilt retreat. I get to do both at the same time!

More excitement: After many months on e-bay and other sites I have finally found and purchased a Bernina. A lady on the Quilters Message Board replied to my request to buy one. She has had it put away for 2 years because she said she was just too old to learn all the new stuff about it. It is a Virtuoso 153 and has all the attachments, owners manual and everything. I almost didnt get it because it is in Lafayette Indiana and I couldn't figure out how to get it here to me. I finally talked to my nephew's wife, Emily and she is shipping it to me today! They live about 30 mins away in Noblesville Indiana, How blessed is that? I will probably be gone when it does finally get here, but it will be waiting on me when I return home next friday! OH HAPPY DAY!!

Thats all for today. Back to cutting blocks and packing for Ohio. Have a great weekend and thanks for visiting.

Peace and Prayers

Hello Everybody, I guess I am not a "real" blogger. This is not something I have time to do everyday, as I should. It is something I like to do because I have always loved to write. My specialty was poetry and I have some good ones in my portfolio. I have also kept a written history of certain journies in my life. So I do love to write. I think most of what I have produced was inspired. Now my inspirations take me to another genre...quilting!

I have been very busy quilting. I am about to finish my third mini quilt swap. I find them so much fun, but a lot of work and love go into mine and I sorta hate to part with them. The one I am about to finish is a
Winter Mini Quilt and I really am pleased with how it turned out. It does have a winter scene but the house is warm and inviting and the playful snowman is having a ball on the frozen pond! So it will be hard to give up. However, I have been thinking of the secret recepient who will get this little jewel. I went to her blogspot and found out she is a very talented, creative quilter and has 3 little children who I am sure will love this happy, smiling, skating snowman! So, I will bind (and hand quilt some of it) and mail it off to Maine. I am sure it will be loved and given a good home.

I am also making friends on The Quilting Board.com. We swap blocks and sets and mini quilts, we help each other out with problems and give each other encouragement and support. What more could you ask of a friend. If you have nothing to do, drop by and say howdy, visit awhile and look at some of the things we are doing.

Monday I am off to South Carolina again for more clinics. What we do is so needed out there, so I never say no when they ask me to go. Smoking is an addiction and people need to know that there is help out there. They need to know that they need treatment and support. Thats what we tell them. So, if you, or someone you love is trying to stop smoking talk to your doctor, get treatment and support. It worked for me and can work for you too!

Please rememebr how blessed we are to get to live where we live, do what we do, and be who we are. It all begins with your choice to do the right thing, be the best person you can be and leave God in control of everything else.

Peace and Prayers

Hello to all my friends, family, and followers. It has been a great February so far and now Sweetheart's day is almost upon us. I have been working on a Feb Mini Quilt and it just got mailed today. It turned out really pretty. so I hope my quilt partner likes it.

I just got back Friday from North Carolina. The clinics I spoke at had a lot of people who really, really want to quit smoking. Some of them had already started their quit journey. I wish them all success in this struggle to overcome the addiction to nicotine. Next week I am off to Dallas for another round of clinics and I am so looking forward to it! I love what we do and how we help people! I didn't know that we had a "quit season" but that is what I was told last week. So it looks like from March thru August we will not be doing as many clinics as we have been doing. It will give me a chance to get caught up on things I have ignored here at home. But I will sure miss telling my quit story!

My next WIPs here at home is to get caught up on my five block swaps, (I owe for Jan and Feb), get my Winter Themed Mini Quilt done and to make 12 Spring Themed blocks out of lavender and green fabric! Yea...what fun! I havent even decided on a pattern yet, but I do have some lovely lavender and green fabric. So I have no excuse not to get 'em done!

Take care everyone, I will talk at'cha later!

Peace and Prayers

Good Morning .....It has been awhile since I last blogged. Janurary has been a very busy month and I cannot believe it is almost gone. I have been busy with all of my block swaps and have sent out 6 so far. I have also received 6 in the mail. And I still need to do 3! My siggie collection is growing and I am loving that too! I am posting pictures  of my blocks just because they are so beautiful. The ladies at http://www.quiltingboard.com/ are talented quilters and every swap challanges me to make each block better then the last. I am also in a Midget Block  swap, a 5" I Spy Flannel Swap and a Feb Doll Quilt Swap on this board! My little sister in Vermont sent me 25 Maple Leaf blocks along with the blue and green fabric used to make them. They are gorgous and I have them at the top of my WIP pile. (I think I need to get a bigger WIP basket). And the blue and yellow giant block came from my little sister in Ilinois! I swap monthly with both of them. Busy, Busy, Busy! What a blessed life I live!

I am also on the road again this Thursday. This time to Georgia for two more GetQuit Clinics. I am very passionate about this program and what we do. Some of the doctors from the first clinics we did are wanting to book a 2nd clinic! That tells us that it is working and they want more! If you or someone you know really wants to quit smoking go to http://www.mytimetoquit.com/ to find out how you can make it happen. You can read about people, just like me, who smoked for decades and finally quit!  The key  to success is treament and support. If you want to read how I was able to finally able to do it go to http://www.mygetquitstory.com/.

I also have one lovely person willing to PayIt Forward with me.  She will receive a small handmade gift from me, which I am working on now.  I still need 2 more people to accept the challange. All you have to do is leave a comment here telling me you are willing to PIF. I will make you a small gift within the next year and you in turn will get 3 more people to accept your challange and post the PIF logo on your own site! That's all there is to it!

I am also posting a picture of my Fall Theme Mini Quilt. I have already mailed it out to my swap partner and am eagerly awaiting  one of my own! This is the first mini quilt I have ever done and I almost wanted to keep it! But I didn't! I am sure my partner will love it too. My next swap with this group is a Winter Theme Mini Quilt and I am in the planning stage on it!

Ok.... That is all for today. I plan on making the last 3 swap blocks and cutting the peices for the Feb doll quilt today. Then I am going shopping for 30's Reproduction fabric for the Midget Swap! Busy, Busy, Busy!

Peace and Prayers till next time
missd

Good Morning everyone! Today is the 3rd day of Jan 2010. It is also my 63rd birthday. I am sharing it with my Billyangel. We will have a pizza party today at 1:30 and we will be surrounded by friends and family! What a great way to start a new year! His mama is making "our" cake. It will be a humongous Omnitrix. (for those of you who are not into the cool stuff:  It is Ben 10's watch made out of 1 choc cake, 1 white cake and 2 round strawberry cakes.) My daughter is a very talented cake decorated and has made Billys cakes every year since the first one. It was a Blue's Clues cake, #2 was Scooby Doo, then Sponge Bob, Deigo, Spiderman, and last year was Buzz Lightyear! Billy gets to tell her what kind of cake he wants, I can hardly wait to see what his next request will be. I will post a picture tomorrow of Ben 10's Omnitrix.

Now that all of the holidays are over for awhile, I am eager to get back to my beloved quilting. My mom is also wanting some more blocks to sew together. I think I will sandwich and baste a quilt and challange her to hand quilt it. I think she can do  it as long as I keep the batting thin. I will keep you posted on her progress.

My goal this month is to finish up some WIPs. I have been working on an Asian Jar/Attic Window quilt for my BFF and a purple and lime batic for my daughter's birthday in Feb. So I had better get busy because both of these are big projects and I do want to get them done. I am also off to Houston next week for 3 days of clinics for Pfizer. I love being a GetQuit Ambassador and look forward to these trips every month. I have committed to another 12 months and will do them for as long as God leads me to do them. If you or someone you know is struggling with nicotine addiction please direct them to http://www.mytimetoquit.com/. If you or someone you know has overcome that addiction please direct them to http://www.mygetquitstory.blogspot.com/ to tell their story of how they quit. It is what we do and what we encourage others to do.

I am also asking for 3 people to help me Pay It Forward. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post committing to the PIF challange. In return, you will receive a small hand made gift from me. Then you will get 3 people to sign up and and make gifts for them. It is a fun way to give back a little, its a pleasant surprise for the gift receiver and we get to be creative in what we make. You also get to post the PIF logo on your blog site.

I leave you now with these words:  In this New Year get rid of things that are not useful, beautiful or joyful.

Peace and Prayers
missd

Good morning everyone! Well it is the last day of an amazing year and I am feeling reflective. There has been many changes in my world, much progress and a lot of personal growth. I have made decisions that define who I am and what is important to me. The God I serve is top priority, followed by family and my friends as always. My own personal growth and what I do with my life are next. This coming year I do promise myself to continue on my journey of discovery. I will continue as a GetQuit Ambassador, traveling all over the country to let people know that  they can stop smoking, I will continue to create quilts for family, friends and charity,  I will do a better job on my blog, I will learn something new this year, I will continue to pay it forward, and I will continue to thank God for loving me and blessing me.

If you are reading this I invite you to reflect on your own life. To make a promise to yourself to be the best "you" you can be and to pay it forward. Help those who are walking the same path to do the same. We all have something to give to the world, it is up to us to find out what that something is.

I do wish you peace and prayers on your journey. May you find both when you visit me here.
missd

Merry Christmas and thank you for visiting here. It is Christmas eve, again, and I am finally finishing last minute gifts, again. I am sure you all know how that goes. We make promises to ourselves to start in July next year and be done the week before Christmas. And before we even get started we are behind!

I have spent a fair amount of time looking back on this year and I am amazed at what has taken place and how blessed we all are! I am thankful for so much that it is hard to know where to start. I retired from a very stressfull job after 8 years of it, bought a new car, completed an 18 year old quilt, (it was started in 1991), became an after-school care giver for two 6 year olds, quit smoking after 40 years and nine attempts at quitting, became a GetQuit Ambassador for Pfizer Pharmeceuticles (as a motivational speaker to get others to quit), convinced to my 83 year old mom that if she can sew, she can piece quilt tops together,(she did two full size tops this month and loves it), spent her 83 birthday with her, committed to 5 monthly block swaps,started a collection of siggies, and met a whole bunch of  wonderful people in the on-line quilting world. How blessed my life is and how grateful I am to my Lord and Savior for all that is mine because of His love.

So I take a moment out of this day to wish the baby Jesus a Happy Birthday, and to say Merry Christmas to all of my friends and family. May the Good Lord bless and keep you.

missd

Good Morning...I am still playing around with this site. It is Christmas  time so I will leave this up for the holidays and come back to choosing a new look for the blog after the New year!

I just got back from a trip to Charlotte North Carolina. What a beautiful spot on earth and the people are wonderfully friendly. I spent a week there doing GetQuit clinics and loved every minute of it! Now I am home and busy catching up on blogging and quilting and swapping, etc. You know how it goes...you never get caught up! I am just lucky enough to keep up...barely! Mailed off 3 blocks and 2 siggies this morning, them turned right around and signed up for another swap! Farm theme..12 block swap due feb 15th! Wish me luck.

If you are reading this I am hosting a Pay It Forward and need 3 people who would like to receive a little hand made gift from me. They in turn would sign up 3 others and make gifts for them. You have a year to get the gifts made and sent. All you have to do is make a comment here on this blog and copy the PIF logo to yuur site! Easy and fun, and I promise you a cute little something within 30 days!

Ok...gotta make a run to the fabric store to pick up interfacing for a pin-strip suit jacket I am making for my daughter. Have a blessed day!

Peace and prayers to all who enter here