I am so not good at blogging daily.
​My goal for 2018 is to blog weekly. I have a lot going on in 2018 so it should be a fun adventure for us.
​For the last couple of days I have been trying to move a couple of BOM projects forward. My guild, Cheshire Quilter's Guild, BOM is called Starstruck and will have 20 different star blocks. I am creating YouTube videos showing the piecing for each block. There is only 1 block in the first installment. The video is done and ready for its premiere. The second video is shot but I haven't transferred to my computer for editing yet. My plan is to stay a month ahead so I need to get busy with shooting and editing the third one also. It si important to note that the videos are not stand-alone. You will need to download the instructional pdf each month. The instructional pdfs will be free for 2 months. After that you can download them for $2. I've included a sneak peek of Starstruck below.
​The second BOM is a collaborative project with another Studio 180 Designs Certified Instructor. We are still working out the details but I think you will be pleased with the result. Like the guild BOM, this project will offer alternative settings and plenty of blocks for practicing your piecing using the various Studio 180 Designs tools.
​Another item keeping me busy on the computer is a pattern that will be in the July 2018 issue of The Quilt Pattern Magazine.

No quilty news today. We went to see the new Jumanji movie today. It was a lot of fun. I haven't been to a movie in probably 5 years - at least over 4 years. The last time was before we moved to New Hampshire. Now it is time to relax and recover so take care all.
​

Santa brought me lots of wonderful quilty gifts. First, in my stocking wer a t-shirt, 2 stainless steel cups and a photo frame.

I particularly like the Fabricaholic one!
​Under the tree were a number of other neat items like another t-shirt, some shoes and socks (Carol - eat your heart out!) and an awesome apron.

My sister custom-made the apron. There is room to put my tools in the pockets on the front. Plus the pin cushion attaches by Velcro so I can remove it if I need to. This apron will come in handy as I teach Tucker University next year. I'll be styling in my new socks and shoes too.
​Well, take care - I've got presents to play with!

Sorry for the day off. Yesterday turned out to be hectic. Today I went to the mall and bought a couple of last gifts. One of them was 70% off - score!
​Today I wanted to share a couple of pictures of Hunter's Lodge. This hunter's star quilt is made using the large Rapid Fire Hunter's Star tool from Studio 180 Designs. I will be teaching a class at New England Fabrics for this pattern some time early next year. The date hasn't been scheduled yet so I'll post when it is arranged.

Here is a closer pictures so you can admire the fabrics I used.

My version looks nothing like the original. I like to mix up the fabric choices to show the possibilities offered by a pattern.

Just imagine the possibilities with your fabric choices! Take care.

Change of plans - due to the expected weather we went to my sister's house early. It is a 5 hour drive and I am bushed. Here is a snow picture. 

This is what we expect on Friday and then rain and ice on Saturday. So we finished up the laundry we needed, packed the car and off we went.
​Take care - hope your family travels safely - see you tomorrow!

Well, I've learned something over the last almost 3 weeks. I'm never going to be an every day blogger. I'm going to keep going with the 31 day challenge but will work on posting weekly once the new year is here.
Today's post is a continuation of a story I started on the 15th. I introduced you to our new pet. This porcupine has visited every night for over a week now. Porcupines are a nocturnal rodent. They eat plants and tree bark. Our porcupine has a taste for bird seed.
​We finally named him - Quillliam Penn. If we discover somehow that Quilliam is a female, we'll modify it to Quilla. Quilliam was almost named Quilliam Shake-a-spear but we decided on Quilliam Penn instead.
​Last night Quilliam learned a new trick. He climbed up the 5 steps to our deck to reach the bird seed that we put there. Quilliam doesn't mind flash photography so I'm sharing a nice portrait of him.

As I am typing this post, Quilliam is again on the deck. Obviously, he wasn't traumatized last night. Until next time, take care.

Sorry I missed yesterday - went to a party in the afternoon and then lost track of time.
​Today I have something special to share with you.
​The other day I told you a little about my start in quilting. One thing I left out was the wonderful online guild that I found. While hunting on the internet I found The Quilt Pattern Magazine (www.quiltpatternmagazine.com). This electronic magazine is phenomenal. Once I subscribed and saw how great it was, I bought all of the back issues. TQPM celebrates its 7th anniversary in January. Each issue has about 7 patterns. There are usually 2 or 3 BOMs going on. Usually there is a pieced, an applique and a mystery but that's not a guarantee. The one thing you can count on is patterns that are fully tested. It is nice to know that you don't have to worry about them.
​The reason I'm talking about TQPM today is that I have a pattern coming up in the January 2018 issue. It is the 11th pattern of mine that TQPM that I have published. I have another 4 scheduled in 2018. As a bonus, you can get a discount on a subscription using the secret code CDMQ at http://www.quiltpatternmagazine.com/program/S/?D=CDMQ. 
​Now for a look at the design. It's called 'Practice Makes Perfect' because you'll have the chance to practice making strip sets, half-square triangles and flying geese.

I try to make each of my patterns with 2 different combinations of fabric. Changing the fabric can give a pattern a totally new look. Here is a picture of my second version of 'Practice Makes Perfect' - doesn't it look fun?

Well, that's it for today - hope to see you again tomorrow.

Today's post is about our new pet. Well, not exactly a pet - more like a repeat visitor. I'm posting a video below. the structure you see is our bird feeder that provides some cover and protection for the birds like junco, chickadees, and doves that visit this time of the year. We also have suet for the woodpeckers and the other birds. We have had more snow than usual for this time of year and the temperatures have been low so there hasn't been much melting yet. Our new 'pet' doesn't have a name yet. We tend to name the creatures that we see regularly but this one still needs to be named. (S)he is outside visiting right now. This is the 4th night in a row. The visits the last 2 nights was around 3 am but he got here around about an hour and a half ago. This is not the fastest moving visitor we've had. I hope you enjoy the video. It is sped up so you can get a flavor of the visit from beginning to end.
​Enjoy the video and see you next time!

When I started quilting in 2012, I worked for an insurance company with primarily men. My work week varied from 50 to 70 hours a week. I wasn't aware of a local guild nor of any quilt shops. Because of the lack of time and other resources, I bought most of my fabric, notions and tools online. I searched for videos on YouTube and found Cozy Quilt Designs and their monthly strip club, Leah Day and her marvelous free motion quilting, Missouri Star Quilt's Jenny Doan, and Deb Tucker of Studio 180 Designs.
​Now I have a wonderful local guild and enough quilt shops close enough that I have to be careful not to visit too often. I decided that I'm not a fan of making scrappy quilts so using jelly rolls or 2-1/2" strips for quilts wasn't my style. Love to look at them though! I keep trying free motion quilting and have improved some but still need a lot of practice. I love the variety of patterns and the fun, quick tutorials from MSQC. These are also mostly scrappy so not for me.
​This past August, I became an extension of the Deb Tucker's Studio 180 Designs family when I became a Certified Instructor.
​In future posts, I'll describe the benefits of each of the tools and highlight some of their marvelous patterns.
​Until then, take care and sew on.

As I suspected I am tuckered out after an awesome guild holiday party!
​See you tomorrow!