COLLECTING MOMENTS

Collecting moments.

I like that idea

as a theme for living this year.

I made a fat quarter bag for 

a very gracious old friend of mine in NYC

who is celebrating another year of experience.

(In case you are wondering, I am 22 

plus several years of experience!)

Why do we SAVE fabric?

I finally used some of my Jan Mullen for this bag.

Fabric that I love

but have been NOT USING...

because it is too fun????

Does that even make any sense?

Ha! Ridiculous! 

I am discarding that idea 

(only use fabric that is not too much fun)

right here and NOW!

I have also decided 

to give a way a quilt a month for 2015.

This one is going to the same friend.

(Wonderfully, she loves purple).

Here's my finished

wanted-to-be-another-Vintage-Spin-but we-sliced-it-up.

Son #3 is graduating high school this spring.

Maybe he will take a quilt to college?!

I walk our rescued Walter

A LOT.

One path we do almost everyday,

while son #3 does crew,

had this spray painted on the path!

LOVE the reminder-

to quit sleeping/being lost in thought

through all the moments

to be experienced 

on this path and in life.

Look what we were treated to

after we woke up...

Visited son #1

at Evergreen College in Olympia

where he is happily thriving!

"I went from student to scholar"

is my current favorite quote of his.

Delighted by the surprise 

of seeing 

a quilt and quilty pillow in his room!

Yesterday,

son#3 wanted to visit son #1

so off we went went to Olympia,

about a two hour drive.

I dropped off son#3

and hunted down a quilt shop!

Here's Washington state's capital building.

And here is a most amazing quilt shop!

A must see if you are in the area.

It had two charming ladies

and more must-have fabric

then I have seen in a shop in a long time!

Then I went to Bayside Quilting

and...

had a private moment

with Elvis!

Hope you are 

enjoying some moments too!

Collecting palettes

for future quilty play.

A while back 

I used this piece 

to create a palette.

that turned into a bunch of these...

that continues to grow as

yet another

vintage spin!

(a Kathy Doughty pattern

which I will be teaching at Aunt Mary's 

on February 15th!)

To get the square

you cut off a lot of curved pieces.

What if...

(loving the what IFs)

then...

?

I am also working on finishing this piece

I started it in a class with Freddy

(she loves this book from Quiltmania)

For me, it's a 

"mediate on what you want"

quilt.

Joie de vivre

and metaphysical fish representing strong ideas!

I also started a beginning painting class

at the community college.

First class was last night

and today I went into the "studio"

to work on our assignment

which was about value.

I am also teaching 

another Kathy Doughty pattern

"soul searching"

at Calico Creations

on January 24th.

Here's Kathy's...

and here's mine hanging in the shop window!

Happily busy!

Join me?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Hmmmm....

Taking advantage 

of a new beginning!

a new chapter!

A new opportunity to practice...

letting go...

remembering I (we) 

can soar.

It's a choice.

Since I (you) get to create the story,

why not have it be full of rainbows?

(ColorFULL?!)

Anything is possible

one step at a time...

even a masterpiece!

(My finished Freddy collage quilt!!)

Obviously,

lots of thinking is going on

and part of my thinking has been

directed towards intention.

What is my intention for this year?

 to grasp?

I want to grab all these bits of time

that seem to be zooming by so quickly...

seize?

seize the day?

maybe, 

but that seems too trite...

THEN...

I made breakfast...

AND...

there it was on the pancake mix!

(finding the sacred in the ordinary?!)

"Seize the what if"

HOWEVER...

"seize" felt like it had a violent or desperate connotation...

SO...

(one step at a time

trusting

looking/listening)

My intention for the new year evolved into

EMBRACE THE WHAT IF!

Love that!

Happy New Year!