Bees Knee's - January

You might recall that I joined a virtual quilting bee a while back. Well, January is our first month and these are the blocks requested by Tracy. She sent us the fabric and linked the tutorial. It was fun and easy!

I have several ideas running around in my head for my month - March. I'll have to make my mind up soon so I can be sure to have all the fabric organized in time to send it all out before March 1.

I can't wait to find out what block each person would like and then to see the finished quilts. If you'd like to follow along, our blog is http://beeskneesquilting.blogspot.com/.

Construction Update

Sorry for the long silence - it has been a busy week and I was feeling a lack of inspiration. It has been a while since I posted a construction photo. The top photo was taken Jan 15 when they had just put up the roof rafters and were beginning the actual roof.

The last two pictures were taken this morning, Jan 23. You can see that the rafters and roof are done. The shingles are all on too! Some of the windows are in. The high window in the second picture is coming soon as is the new door that will connect to our kitchen. The exterior door on the left in the last picture was our door to the deck. When the addition is finished it will have been replaced with an interior door leading to my Mom's room.

I have also been working on the download for the Triangle Maze pattern. I have managed to get the PDF working itself, but I can't get the picture of the quilt to show up on the side of the blog. So far I think I have tried it about 25 different ways! I'll figure it out eventually!

Cottage Quilt

My oldest and dearest friend has a "cottage" on Lake Michigan (it is really a house). She and her husband invite us up there for a weekend or a few days almost every year. It is such a lovely place right on the Lake and has a wonderful west facing view. I can't count the number of pictures of sunsets and the view I have taken from her deck!

I made this quilt for her and her family in 2008 to thank them for all the fun, friendship and relaxing times we have had together at the cottage. I had so much fun looking through my fabrics for all the blues and then deciding how much of each of the other colors to use to represent the grass, sand, sun, snow, etc.

Biltmore Inspiration

My Dad and his wife have a second home about an hour outside of Asheville, NC (they live in Savannah, GA). We went to visit about three years ago and they took us to see Biltmore House. We had a great time seeing all the beautiful architecture and furnishings and learning about the lifestyle of the wealthy so long ago. I have heard wonderful things about the gardens as well, but we were there in February so not much was blooming.

Among the many beautiful and amazing things in Biltmore House were some fabulous ceilings. I regretted that photography was not allowed and I had not brought my sketchbook.

This quilt block was inspired by one of the ceilings that was not far from the main entrance to the house. I stared up at it for quite some time, isolating the shapes so I could try to reproduce it in applique. I have been working on this quilt on and off for nearly three years now! The center of the quilt will be sixteen blocks. The picture here is of four blocks. I have finished three of the four block pieces and plan to start the last one soon. Each block is 12" so I will have a 48" square quilt center. I love how the "petals" from each block join together to form circles.

I haven't decided what to do after I get the center blocks finished, but I'm sure it will come. The fabric is from April Cornell's Sunshine collection. I plan to use only these two fabrics with, maybe, a little white or cream added. I'll keep you posted on how it comes along! Maybe 2010 is the year it gets finished!

Quilt Content!

Yesterday I received the first fabric packet for the Bee's Knees online quilting bee/block exchange! I am so excited to particpate in this group. I haven't done this before and am really looking forward to seeing what kind of blocks everyone wants us to do. It will be so great to have a quilt with blocks made by so many other women from many parts of the US and Canada and England!

January is Tracy's month and she wants us to make a wonky pinwheel block with these lovely fabrics. March is my month and I am beginning to close in on what I would like to do. I think I would like to provide most of the fabric, but ask everyone to add a small piece from their own stash.

In other news of my life: Mom is coming along well and so is our construction. This picture was taken on Jan 4. I have to get out there today and take another shot as they have some of the interior framing up too.

If you are in the US, I hope you are getting some sewing done during the cold snap that so much of our country is enduring. If you are where it is warm - enjoy!

2010 Goals

I have set my goals for 2010. My goals tend to be similar from one year to the next as they help keep me on track with the important quilting things I need to do. Anyway, here they are:

1. Design and make 12 quilts (not including charity).
2. Have a new pattern/quilt to show at each of my guild meetings (6/yr).
3. Have a "spring" and "fall" pattern collection with six patterns in each collection.
4. Get an accounting system set up. (this means a more comprehensive system than I am currently using)
5. Get professional advice on legal/licensing/tax issues. (I'm in pretty good shape here, but there are some details I need to nail down)
6. Improve web site.
7. Work 100 hours per month.
8. Make 2 charity quilts.
9. Blog at least twice a week (hopefully, more).
10. Design 6 free projects/tutorials for the blog.
11. Go to Beaver Island Quilt Retreat.

This is quite an ambitious list for me and it is likely I won't be able to accomplish all these things, but I will work toward them as best I can. I would love to be able to commit more than 100 hours a month to my quilting life, but given the time that goes to paid non-quilting work and my family, 100 hours is realistic.

I am really looking forward to 2010 and all the fun and challenging projects ahead! Do you set goals for yourself each year (quilting or non)?

PS Sorry no construction pictures today - I got home yesterday after dark and there hadn't been much progress due to the holiday weekend.

2009 Goals

Every year I set goals for my quilting. My goals for 2009 were:

1. Design and make 12 quilts.

2. Show a quilt at each of my local guild meetings (six a year).

3. Have my website up by March 1.

4. Work 100 hours per month on Esch House Quilts.

5. Make 2 SafeHouse quilts (my guild's charity).

6. Organize my pattern "releases" to have 6 new patterns in the Spring and 6 in the Fall.

7. Attend Spring Quilt Market.

8. Go to Beaver Island Quilt Retreat.

Here is how I did:

1. I made more than 12 quilts, but only 8 new designs. Testing and refining the patterns took longer than I planned.

2. After joining the quiltpatterndesigners Yahoo group, I decided not to show my quilts until the patterns are ready for release.

3. Done! (although, it still needs a lot of work)

4. If I don't count December when my Mom fell, I accomplished this goal. I worked 1188 hours this year.

5. I did not accomplish this goal. Our guild asks us to make one 60" x 80" quilt for this charity each year. This is the first year I have not done so.

6. I did well for the spring release, but not the fall. I made some changes in my testing procedures that I am happy with, but they slowed me down a bit. I will be able to plan better for 2010.

7. Yes! My husband and I attended Spring Quilt Market in Pittsburgh. I hope to be a vendor there some day and it was a wonderful chance to see what it is like before then.

8. I did not accomplish this goal :( I love Gwen Marston's retreat, but was not able to justify the expense in 2009.

I will post my goals for 2010 soon. In the meantime, here is the latest construction picture - floor joists!